Key points
- Rescue workers pulled a three-year-old child alive from earthquake rubble in La Guaira six days after Venezuela’s devastating twin earthquakes.
- Nearly 2,000 people have been confirmed dead, while more than 6,400 have been rescued.
- Around 1,000 buildings, including hospitals, and more than 400 schools have been damaged or destroyed.
- The UN says hundreds of thousands of children need urgent assistance as relief agencies scale up humanitarian operations.
Main story
Rescue workers have pulled a three-year-old child alive from beneath the rubble in Venezuela’s hardest-hit La Guaira region, six days after twin earthquakes devastated parts of the country, offering a rare moment of hope as humanitarian needs continue to grow.
The child was rescued after the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes struck less than a minute apart on June 24, flattening buildings and leaving tens of thousands of people without adequate shelter.
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said humanitarian needs were rising rapidly as the confirmed death toll approached 2,000, while authorities reported that more than 6,400 people had been rescued.
National and international search-and-rescue teams remain deployed across La Guaira, with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stressing that every life remains a priority as operations continue.
UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) teams are also working alongside local authorities to identify the communities most in need of emergency assistance and coordinate relief efforts.
The earthquakes have caused widespread destruction, damaging or destroying about 1,000 buildings, including hospitals, as well as more than 400 schools and critical water infrastructure.
To support the emergency response, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has begun delivering humanitarian supplies into Venezuela. An initial 47-tonne shipment arrived on Tuesday, complementing an earlier consignment sent from Panama on June 28.
According to UNICEF, the combined shipments will provide assistance to more than 100,000 children and their families over the next three months.
The supplies include emergency medical kits, maternal and newborn care equipment, medicines, water purification materials, storage containers, wheelchairs, tents for child-friendly spaces, and educational and recreational materials designed to help children regain a sense of normalcy after the disaster.
UNICEF officials warned, however, that the assistance delivered so far remains far below what is required.
The agency estimates that about 680,000 children across the six affected states require humanitarian assistance following what it described as Venezuela’s most significant seismic disaster in more than a century.
Communities also remain vulnerable to continuing aftershocks, with more than 600 recorded since the initial earthquakes.
The issues
While dramatic rescues continue to offer hope, emergency agencies say the crisis is shifting from search-and-rescue to long-term humanitarian recovery.
With hospitals, schools and water systems heavily damaged, displaced families face growing risks from disease outbreaks, inadequate shelter and disrupted healthcare, particularly for children and pregnant women.
UNICEF estimates it requires $52 million for its earthquake response, part of its broader $137.6 million humanitarian appeal for Venezuela, which was only 35 per cent funded before the disaster struck.
What’s being said
“As the death toll rises, needs are skyrocketing.” — UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR)
“Families across the affected states are in urgent need of safe water, as well as access to health care.” — Roberto Benes, UNICEF Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean
What’s next
Search-and-rescue operations will continue as emergency teams look for additional survivors while humanitarian agencies expand relief operations across the affected states.
International aid organisations are also appealing for additional funding to meet growing needs as Venezuela begins the longer process of recovery and reconstruction.
Bottom line
The rescue of a toddler six days after Venezuela’s devastating earthquakes has provided a rare moment of hope, but with thousands dead, widespread infrastructure damage and hundreds of thousands of children requiring assistance, the country’s humanitarian crisis is only beginning.
