Two earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 struck Venezuela's north-central region on 24 June, just 39 seconds apart, causing widespread destruction. A first assessment by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) estimates direct physical damage to housing and infrastructure at approximately $37 billion. This includes about $24 billion in damage to buildings such as homes, businesses, schools, hospitals, and public facilities, and around $13 billion in infrastructure damage. Telecommunications suffered the heaviest losses within infrastructure, estimated at $5 billion, followed by energy generation and roads.
The Venezuelan Government reported that the death toll has exceeded 3,340 people, with over 16,740 injured and approximately 17,000 left homeless. The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned 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, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric stated in 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."
The damage estimate is based on risk modeling and does not yet account for losses from disrupted services, economic activity, emergency response costs, supply chain effects, or reconstruction.
Loading comments.