Chinese volunteers unload the first batch of emergency supplies China provided for quake-hit areas in Venezuela on June 26, 2026. Photo: Courtesy of Xu Guocheng

"The earthquake was so powerful that houses felt as fragile as biscuits. Some residents watched helplessly as their homes collapsed in front of their eyes."

Over two weeks after two powerful earthquakes measuring above magnitude-7.0 struck Venezuela on June 24 local time, Xu Guocheng, secretary-general of the Federation of Chinese Associations in Venezuela, recalled the terrifying night in a solemn tone. 

Xu, who has lived in Venezuela for more than 20 years, told the Global Times that when the earthquakes struck, some people were watching TV when their light bulbs suddenly flashed brightly before everything plunged into darkness. Others were playing billiards and initially thought someone was jokingly shaking the table, completely unaware that it was an earthquake.

Jorge Rodríguez, president of Venezuela's National Assembly, updated on social media on July 10 that the two earthquakes had killed 4,118 people and injured 16,740 others. According to the Chinese Embassy in Venezuela, nine Chinese nationals have been confirmed dead so far.

"Saving lives was the top priority," Xu said.

In the face of sudden disaster, the Federation of Chinese Associations in Venezuela quickly activated its emergency response mechanism. Chinese communities in Caracas and La Guaira State rapidly formed rescue teams and rushed to the hardest-hit areas.

However, rescue efforts faced severe challenges, as many affected areas suffered power and water outages, communication disruptions and landslides that blocked mountain roads.

"We did not know the road conditions in the disaster areas, and sending people in blindly risked them losing contact themselves," Xu said. "We immediately adjusted our approach, organized volunteers familiar with the local terrain, and brought equipment urgently collected from Chinese-owned stores, including power generators, cutting machines and large electric drills, into the ruins."

More than 90 percent of overseas Chinese in Venezuela trace their roots to Enping, South China's Guangdong Province. They are spread across major cities including Caracas, Carabobo and La Guaira. Their shared hometown ties and community networks helped facilitate information sharing and searches for missing people.

Within hours of the earthquake, the first group of affected Chinese residents had been brought to safety by volunteers.

The rescue of a little girl left deep impression on the community. At the time, people heard knocking sound beneath the rubble of a collapsed shop. Many local shops follow a structure of "store on the first floor, warehouse on the second and living space on the third," and the knocking suggested that people could still be trapped inside.

With no electricity and shop doors blocked, rescuers used electric drills to break through walls and cut steel bars, eventually pulling the girl free. When her father embraced his unharmed daughter, the Chinese volunteers erupted in cheers. After witnessing so many heartbreaking scenes, the successful rescue brought a rare moment of hope.

Beyond the rescue itself, overseas Chinese in Venezuela demonstrated not only swift action but also a willingness to help others beyond their own interests.

Some Chinese business owners whose shops were severely damaged voluntarily gave up their relief payments, donating their allocation to compatriots facing greater hardship. Another Chinese resident who had just undergone surgery urgently needed imported blood pressure medication, overcame the crisis after the demand was transferred in chat groups, prompting a city-wide search.

The Chinese spirit of "when one place faces difficulty, support comes from all directions" has taken on special meaning among overseas Chinese communities abroad.

Overseas Chinese also extended assistance to local Venezuelans. As many Chinese businesses run businesses in the daily necessities and food sectors, overseas Chinese organizations quickly collected large quantities of emergency supplies and donated to locals in need.

So far, the Federation of Chinese Associations in Venezuela and other Chinese community groups have donated more than 2,100 tons of relief supplies to affected areas, including drinking water, food and hygiene products.

When trucks loaded with supplies arrived at communities suffering from shortages of water and food, many local residents were moved to tears and shouted in Spanish, "We are together!"

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson previously said that in addition to the cash assistance that China has provided to Venezuela, the Chinese government has decided to provide emergency supplies worth 100 million yuan ($14.75 million) as donations. The Red Cross Society of China has provided the Red Cross Society of Venezuela with $300,000 as emergency cash assistance. On July 6, the first batch of 80-ton assistance supplies from the Chinese government, including generators, water purifiers, tents and blankets, arrived in Venezuela via charter flight. 

China has also provided satellite images to the Venezuelan side. 

Although the powerful earthquakes have passed, aftershocks continue to occur and post-disaster reconstruction remains a long-term challenge. The focus of overseas Chinese organizations has shifted from emergency rescue to resettlement and long-term recovery planning.

Xu said their current priorities cover three areas: following up on treatment for injured residents in hospital; helping homeless Chinese residents find proper accommodation; and registering property losses and collecting requests from affected community members to develop further assistance plans.

According to reports, 33 Chinese-owned shops were severely damaged in the earthquake. The federation has distributed $332,000 in relief funds to the families of deceased Chinese nationals, injured and financially struggling Chinese residents, owners of severely damaged businesses and their employees.

"First survive, then move forward," Xu said.

He acknowledged that losing businesses built over more than a decade overnight was painful, but in the face of such a disaster, everyone involved, whether rescuers on the front lines or organizers coordinating behind the scenes, "is a hero."

In the hardest-hit areas, roads remain damaged and airports and ports have yet to fully recover. But on the ruins, overseas Chinese in Venezuela are rebuilding their lives and hope through unity and mutual support.