An Air Force A330 aircraft is transporting 59 UME members, including specialists from the USAR (Urban Search and Rescue) team, eight canine units, and two engineers from the Army. The mission, overseen by the Ministry of Defense, aims to provide support in a disaster-stricken region.
The UME's USAR team, with a notable history in Canary Islands, specializes in collapsed structures and major catastrophe scenarios. Their expertise was critical in April 2016 during the building collapse on Amalia Alayón street in Los Cristianos, Tenerife, one of the island's most tragic incidents.
The USAR team is prepared to locate, stabilize, and extract people trapped under collapsed structures, utilizing technical and human resources designed for prolonged operations in extreme conditions.
This unit's capabilities combine trained dogs with advanced technology such as rescue cameras, geophones, and drones. Its specialists are skilled in shoring, cutting, drilling, vertical rescues, and other techniques.
In addition to the UME contingent, the mission includes personnel from the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) to assess humanitarian needs, and 40 firefighters from the Community of Madrid via ERICAM. The Spanish team holds international INSARAG certification, renewed until 2028, enabling global deployment.
The departure of the Spanish military aircraft occurs amidst a global mobilization, as authorities and emergency teams in Venezuela race against time to find survivors and assist those affected by the earthquakes.
