The death toll from the Venezuela earthquake exceeds 1,700 as the United Nations continues to intensify the response

Venezuelan authorities confirmed on Monday that at least 1,719 people had died following the June 24 earthquakes, with about 5,000 others injured. About 12,000 people were displaced, and officials have not yet confirmed the number of missing people.

Survivors are still emerging

Seven people were pulled alive from the rubble on Sunday as search efforts continued, Gianluca Rampolla, the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator in Venezuela, told a briefing for reporters in New York.

He also stated that the United Nations and Venezuelan authorities had agreed to purchase 10,000 body bags in anticipation of a higher death toll.

Seven states were affected, but the largest concentration of victims was in the state of La Guaira and the capital, Caracas. About 2,500 buildings were damaged, many of which collapsed completely.

Conditions on the ground remain dangerous. Nearly 500 aftershocks have been recorded since the initial quakes, including a 5.2-magnitude quake in the early hours of Monday morning, while a tropical wave threatens to bring heavy rain to affected areas.

“We continue to operate in a high-risk environment,” Mr Rampolla said.

More than 2,000 rescuers are on the ground

More than 2,000 rescue workers from 27 countries – along with more than 160 search dogs – are currently spread across more than 40 teams.

Although search and rescue operations usually focus on the first 72 hours, teams extended their work after continuing to receive signs of life from under the rubble and locating survivors outside that window.

“Along with search and rescue operations, we are focusing, together with the government, on providing emergency healthcare, shelter, food assistance, water, sanitation and logistical support to ensure not only storage but also distribution of all supplies arriving in the country, as well as protection,” Mr Rampolla said, adding that the UN is working on a new emergency appeal to complement its existing humanitarian plan.

“There are people who need a hug”

The United Nations is setting up three assistance centers in La Guaira for families who have lost their homes, providing medical care, food, water and sanitation, protection and psychosocial support.

Vanessa May, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Venezuela, told UN News that many people have lost all sense of stability. “Going from owning a home, to living in a shelter or temporary housing will not be easy,” she said.

Mrs May stressed that emotional support would be as essential as food, water or medical care. “There are people who need a hug,” she said, describing families waiting for news of their loved ones, and others who already knew their relatives were still buried under the rubble.

“This will take time”

Once the searches are completed, the United Nations and its partners will conduct rapid assessments to identify needs, including those of older people and people with disabilities.

Debris removal and early recovery will follow, with particular attention to damage to schools and hospitals.

Mrs May said the reconstruction phase would require working with authorities to identify places where displaced families could be resettled and carrying out soil surveys before any relocation. “This will take time,” she added.

She attributed the speed of the UN’s initial response to the humanitarian structure established in Venezuela since 2019, which brought together UN agencies, national and international NGOs, the Red Cross and other actors. Coordinating the increase in public donations – with many individuals and organizations spontaneously arriving in affected areas – was among the major logistical challenges.

“Don’t let this solidarity stop,” Mrs. May said, urging continued attention to Venezuela beyond the first weeks of recovery from the disaster.

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