The situation at the Colombia–Venezuela border has returned to normal after U.S. strikes on Venezuela.
After the U.S. raid on Jan 3, the Colombian government announced a temporary closure of a bustling border port with Venezuela in the Colombian town of Cucuta. Traffic resumed a day later, even as authorities continued to strengthen the deployment of security forces.
According to media reports at the time, the Colombian government deployed 11,000 soldiers along the border.
Military forces have since completely withdrawn. The border on the Colombian side has returned to its pre-raid state, with traffic appearing normal on the border bridge.
Agricela Funez, a Venezuelan waitress who works at a restaurant near the border checkpoint in Cucuta, said the security situation has since eased.
"The security situation has changed. They (the soldiers) withdrew and everything returned to normal. The military forces were stationed here for only about a week; there were many soldiers, military vehicles, and journalists," said Funez.
Funez said she was extremely worried about the safety of her two daughters, who live in Caracas, Venezuela's capital, when the attacks occurred. She added that she believes the United States wants Venezuela's natural resources.
"I was scared because I have family in Caracas. At 01:00, I received a call from my family. I was sleeping. I burst into tears when I received the call. It (The U.S. attack on Venezuela) was wrong. Many people lost their lives. I think what they want is the natural resources and wealth that we, Venezuela, possess," said Funez.
Another Venezuelan immigrant living in Colombia also said he believes the U.S. wants Venezuela’s oil.
"To seize all of Venezuela's wealth, especially its oil," he said.
Order returns to normal at Colombia-Venezuela border
Large vehicles and heavy machinery have now entered the core disaster area of the mudslide-hit Gyirong Port in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region following a major effort to clear a key access road, enabling emergency teams to conduct deeper search and rescue operations.
Road access to the core area was restored at around 10:00 Wednesday after days of round-the-clock repair work on the G216 national highway, which was left cut off following last Wednesday's deadly mudslide on the China-Nepal border.
The disaster had damaged an almost three-kilometer section of the highway, forcing the initial rescue teams to trek through the treacherous mountain terrain for over 10 hours or take helicopters to reach the main port area.
With the route re-opened on Wednesday following days of road clearance efforts, more rescue personnel soon entered and immediately optimized their approach.
They closely followed the paths cleared by the heavy machinery, using life detectors and other specialized equipment to conduct detailed searches, while sniffer dogs were also deployed as the teams hope to find any signs of life among the piled boulders, buried buildings, and silted river channels.
Soldiers from the People's Liberation Army Xizang Military Command and the Armed Police Force also joined the operation, helping conduct clearance work and carrying out disinfection at the site.
Specialist teams are also assessing for risks and advising preventative steps to avoid secondary disasters occurring. A joint monitoring group is continually checking the barrier lake dam, upstream glaciers, and other noted landslide points to ensure the safety of ongoing rescue operations.
Temporary insurance claims services have also been launched. Insurers have initially estimated losses at approximately 450 million yuan (around 67 million U.S. dollars), and banks have provided more than 200 million yuan in emergency cash support.
The mudslide, caused by an ice-rock avalanche on the Nepalese side of the border, hit the Gyirong Port on the morning of Aug 26. It has claimed at least 21 lives and left 541 missing at the border port as of Wednesday noon, according to the regional government's latest update.
Heavy machinery enters Gyirong Port mudslide zone after road repair
