The International Organization for Migration (IOM) of the UN estimated this Friday that 6.76 million people may have been affected by the earthquakes that struck Venezuela on Wednesday, June 24, including approximately two million residents of Caracas.
The figure, announced by IOM spokesperson Zoe Brennan, pertains to individuals affected by the seismic impact, service disruptions, infrastructure damage, and the risk of displacement. This was revealed on the same day that Delcy Rodríguez raised the official count to 589 dead and 2,980 injured, a dramatic increase from the 188 confirmed deaths reported just 24 hours earlier.
The UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher, described the extent of the disaster bluntly: "The situation on the ground is one of truly terrifying devastation."
Fletcher also warned that the organization was already providing humanitarian assistance to about eight million Venezuelans before the earthquakes, which multiplies the challenge of the emergency response. "The challenge is already significant. This makes it much, much more difficult, but our total focus is on this emergency response," he added.
The two earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 that shook Venezuela within just 39 seconds of each other are the most powerful recorded in the country since 1900, according to the United States Geological Survey. The epicenter was located in the state of Yaracuy, approximately 170 kilometers west of Caracas, and since then, more than 200 aftershocks have been recorded.
The international response has been massive. According to the UN, 16 countries deployed over a thousand rescuers on the ground: Switzerland, the United States, the Netherlands, France, Qatar, the Czech Republic, Germany, Jordan, the United Kingdom, Spain, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Italy, El Salvador, and Mexico.
The United States allocated 150 million dollars in humanitarian aid —100 million for OCHA and 50 million for organizations on the ground— and activated search and rescue brigades from Fairfax and Los Angeles counties. The administration of Donald Trump also mobilized military forces through Southern Command.
OCHA released 15 million dollars from the Central Emergency Response Fund, and the International Red Cross launched an emergency appeal for 50 million Swiss francs (61 million dollars).
Spain landed an A330 aircraft from the Air Force on Friday, carrying 59 military personnel from the Military Emergency Unit, canine teams, and rescue staff from the Community of Madrid. India dispatched two planes with over 35 tons of medical supplies, and Brazil sent 36 firefighters with equipment to set up a field hospital.
Around twenty hospitals in states such as La Guaira, Miranda, Aragua, Carabobo, Falcón, Zulia, Yaracuy, and Lara suffered damage, leading the Venezuelan government to specifically request three emergency medical teams with surgical capacity from the UN.
"We are fully mobilized; every hour counts, and we will save as many lives as we can," assured Fletcher, who reiterated that the search for survivors remains the "number one priority."
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