Following the devastating earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24, approximately 1.8 million people, including nearly 680,000 children, are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.
Operative Information Center-OMM reports that the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has released data highlighting the severity of the crisis.
In its statement, UNICEF emphasized that children constitute a significant portion of the population affected by the natural disaster. Manuel Rodriguez Pumarol, the organization's representative in Venezuela, stated that hospitals in the country are operating at maximum capacity. Furthermore, thousands of children lack reliable access to clean drinking water, and numerous educational facilities have sustained severe structural damage.
Reports indicate that 432 schools in the capital, Caracas, have been damaged, accounting for more than one-third of all educational institutions in the region. Many of the remaining functional schools are currently being utilized as temporary shelters for families displaced by the disaster.
The seismic event involved two powerful earthquakes on June 24. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the first earthquake registered a magnitude of 7.2, followed by a second, more powerful tremor of 7.5. These events were subsequently followed by 512 aftershocks, complicating rescue and recovery efforts.
According to the latest figures from the Venezuelan government, the death toll from the earthquakes has reached 1,450. Currently, more than 3,200 injured individuals are receiving medical treatment in hospitals. The natural disaster has resulted in the widespread destruction of residential homes, critical infrastructure, and medical facilities, while operations at the country's main airport have been suspended.
Venezuela, located in a seismically active region of South America, frequently faces the threat of tectonic activity. This recent catastrophe underscores the vulnerability of the nation's infrastructure and the critical importance of international humanitarian aid in the aftermath of large-scale natural disasters.
