Venezuela honors disaster responders and rescues missing fisherman

The Venezuelan government held a ceremony in Caracas to award more than 700 park rangers and 214 forest firefighters for their work after the twin earthquakes on 24 June. The event, led by sectoral Vice President Isabel Iturria, Minister Nelson Rodríguez and Caracas Governor Nahum Fernández, recognized the teams that sheltered over 8,000 people in public parks and began a reforestation program.

Separately, on 1 August, authorities rescued 30‑year‑old fisherman Isael José Ortiz, who had drifted for five days after his boat sank off the coast of Miranda. The rescue was carried out by municipal police, marine firefighters, the Coast Guard and the National Institute of Aquatic Spaces, after a yacht spotted him 60 nautical miles from Cabo Codera. Ortiz was treated for severe dehydration at a hospital in Higuerote while searches continue for the three missing crew members.