Two earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 struck Venezuela's north-central region on 24 June, just 39 seconds apart, causing widespread destruction and loss of life. The Government reported over 3,340 deaths, more than 16,740 injuries, and approximately 17,000 people left homeless.
A preliminary assessment by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) estimates the direct physical damage to housing and infrastructure at around $37 billion. This includes $24 billion in damage to buildings such as homes, businesses, schools, hospitals, and public facilities, and $13 billion in infrastructure damage. Telecommunications suffered the greatest losses within infrastructure, estimated at $5 billion, followed by energy generation and roads. The estimate is based on risk modeling and does not include losses from disrupted services, economic impacts, emergency response, or reconstruction costs.
The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) has highlighted that children are among the worst affected, estimating that 650,000 people, including 234,000 children, will require humanitarian assistance. Search and rescue teams remain active in the affected areas, coordinated by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric stated from New York, “We and our partners are continuing to scale up assistance to impacted people by the earthquakes, in coordination with the Government,” emphasizing efforts on "supporting displaced people and addressing urgent humanitarian needs."
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