Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—Venezuela has expanded its assistance to Panama following the October 9 earthquake, with a 51-member technical mission, coordination with Panamanian emergency authorities, and the dispatch of 40 metric tons of humanitarian supplies. The latest developments include President José Raúl Mulino’s reception of the Venezuelan delegation and a series of inspections of schools and historic buildings.The technical contingent arrived on Tuesday, October 13, in two groups: an initial team of 34 professionals, whose arrival Orinoco Tribune previously reported, followed by another 17 specialists later that night. The delegation is headed by Venezuela’s Public Works Minister Juan José Ramírez and Transport Minister Francisco Garcés, who is also president of the presidential commission for the habitability assessment of housing and infrastructure.Presidente de Panamá, José Raúl Mulino, recibió a la delegación técnica venezolana tras terremoto.¡Panamá no está sola! 🇵🇦🇻🇪 pic.twitter.com/FbBHzpgBDN— Ministerio de Comunicación e Información (@mippci_ven) October 15, 2026Mulino receives Venezuelan delegationOn Wednesday, October 14, President Mulino publicly thanked Venezuela for sending the specialists and subsequently received the delegation.“I thank Venezuela’s government for sending 51 experts in infrastructure assessment,” he wrote on social media. “It will be a great help.”Before meeting Mulino, Ramírez and Garcés held discussions at Panama’s Government Palace with officials responsible for public works, educational infrastructure, and coordination of presidential projects. The Venezuelan delegation presented its experience with structural assessments and safe debris removal following Venezuela’s June 24 earthquakes.That evening, Venezuela’s Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello announced on Con el Mazo Dando that an aircraft carrying humanitarian supplies would leave for Panama the following day. He described the operation as part of Venezuela’s tradition of solidarity with peoples facing emergencies and highlighted the experience of the Simón Bolívar Humanitarian Task Force.Humanitarian shipment and emergency coordinationOn Thursday, October 15, the aircraft departed from Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía with 40 metric tons of aid. The shipment included corn flour, white rice, powdered milk, hygiene supplies for adults and children, mattresses, and other materials for families staying in shelters. Venezuela also deployed personnel from the Simón Bolívar Humanitarian Task Force.In a separate coordination update published Thursday, Ramírez reported that he and Garcés had met with René García, director of Panama’s National Emergency Operations Center, to review the damage assessment, emergency response procedures, and work of Venezuelan teams in affected communities.García reported approximately 3,600 damaged homes and said security agencies, emergency response institutions, and other public bodies were working together to assist residents. He thanked Venezuela for sharing the knowledge and technical capabilities developed through its own earthquake response.Diosdado Cabello Criticizes Panama Mayor for Putting GPS Devices in Humanitarian Aid to Venezuela Following EarthquakesInspections of schools and historic heritageAlso on Thursday, Venezuela’s Communication Ministry reported inspections at Flores School in Tonosí, Los Santos province, where specialists examined structural damage caused by the earthquake. The school visits form part of the mission’s work to assess affected educational facilities and support their safe rehabilitation.Garcés also led an inspection of Palacio Bolívar, the headquarters of Panama’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, in the former San Francisco convent complex. The historic site hosted the Congress of Panama in 1826 and preserves original documents from that gathering.The reported visits extended the mission’s assessments from educational facilities to historic heritage. The reports did not announce final structural findings or clearance for the inspected buildings to reopen. Special for Orinoco Tribune by staffOT/JRE/AU