On June 24, 2026, two earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 struck Venezuela's north-central region just 39 seconds apart, causing widespread destruction. A preliminary 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 $13 billion in infrastructure, with telecommunications suffering the heaviest losses at around $5 billion, followed by energy generation and roads.
The Venezuelan Government reported a death toll exceeding 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 most affected, estimating that 650,000 people, including 234,000 children, will require humanitarian aid.
UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric stated from New York that the UN and its partners are continuing to scale up assistance in coordination with the Government, focusing on supporting displaced people and addressing urgent humanitarian needs. Search and rescue teams remain active in the affected areas, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The damage estimate is based on risk modeling and does not yet include losses from disrupted services, economic activity, emergency response costs, supply chain effects, or reconstruction efforts.
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