International Rescue Teams and Aid Mobilize as Death Toll Passes 1,700

In the days after the June 24 earthquakes, dozens of countries mobilized search-and-rescue teams and humanitarian aid: Colombia sent more than 60 rescuers and 12 tonnes of supplies, while Brazil, Canada, Mexico, El Salvador, Cuba and others deployed personnel alongside UN agencies. The United States pledged a "whole-of-government response" including warships, transport aircraft and helicopters plus an initial $150 million in aid (later expanding toward $300 million with nearly 2,000 U.S. troops deployed) — though with USAID dismantled, sustained U.S. assistance is now flowing mainly through military logistics rather than civilian development channels. By June 29 the UN reported over 2,000 rescue workers from 27 countries operating more than 40 teams with over 160 search dogs, and had procured 10,000 body bags in anticipation of a rising toll; the confirmed death count passed 1,700 with roughly 5,000 injured and 12,000 displaced.