An estimated 1.8 million people, including 680,000 children, are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance after two devastating earthquakes struck Venezuela, UNICEF reported this weekend.
The two powerful earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude, struck the country last Wednesday. The twin quakes are Venezuela’s most significant seismic event in more than a century.
In response to the growing crisis, a first UNICEF airlift has arrived in the country, delivering 20 metric tons of lifesaving medical supplies, emergency tents, clean water, and sanitation items. Additional emergency shipments are already en route and are expected to support more than 100,000 people.
Local infrastructure has been severely crippled by the disaster, leaving emergency responders racing against time to provide basic necessities.
“Three days into the response, the scale of need is becoming clearer,” said Manuel Rodriguez Pumarol, the UNICEF Representative in Venezuela in a statement on Saturday. “Hospitals are operating beyond capacity, thousands of children don’t have reliable access to safe water, and many schools have been damaged.”
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The death toll rose sharply to 1,430 over the weekend, while families in Venezuela reported at least 68,900 people missing as of Saturday.
Aid organizations are currently collaborating with local authorities to expand their reach, but officials warn that the recovery process will require sustained international assistance.
“UNICEF is working with the Government of Venezuela and partners to scale up support for children and families, and continued funding will be critical to sustaining that response in the weeks ahead,” Pumarol said.
To learn more and support UNICEF’s emergency response efforts, members of the public can visit www.unicefusa.org/ActNowVenezuela.
