EMERGENCY workers have pulled a three-year-old child alive from beneath collapsed rubble in La Guaira six days after two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela.
The toddler’s rescue comes as Venezuela battles the aftermath of twin earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude, which struck less than a minute apart on June 24, triggering one of the country’s deadliest natural disasters in more than a century.
According to authorities, La Guaira is one of the hardest-hit regions, where search-and-rescue teams have continued combing through destroyed buildings despite fading hopes of finding more survivors, as they confirmed nearly 2,000 deaths.
More than 6,400 people have been rescued since the catastrophe unfolded, as thousands of families remain homeless, sleeping outdoors amid fears of fresh aftershocks.
The United Nations (UN) said that humanitarian needs were escalating rapidly, as the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) highlighted the growing demand for emergency shelter, healthcare, clean water and protection services.
Meanwhile, specialists from the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team are assessing the extent of destruction to help humanitarian agencies determine where aid is needed most.
The earthquakes have left widespread devastation across six affected states which has left approximately 1,000 buildings, including hospitals, damaged or destroyed and more than 400 schools have also been affected, alongside critical water infrastructure.
In response, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) 47-tonne shipment of emergency supplies arrived in the country this week, complementing an earlier consignment transported from Panama, with enough relief materials to support more than 100,000 children and families over the next three months.
The emergency supplies include medical kits, safe childbirth equipment, newborn care materials, medicines, water purification systems, storage containers, tents for child-friendly spaces, wheelchairs and educational materials designed to help children regain a sense of normalcy.
UNICEF Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Roberto Benes, warned that many survivors remained without access to safe drinking water or healthcare.
According to UNICEF, around 680,000 children require humanitarian assistance across the six earthquake-affected states.
The crisis has been compounded by more than 600 aftershocks, keeping communities on edge and complicating rescue and relief efforts.
UNICEF estimates it requires $52 million to respond to the earthquake emergency, part of its broader 2026 Humanitarian Action for Children appeal for Venezuela, which seeks $137.6 million.
While the rescue of the three-year-old has inspired hope amid overwhelming tragedy, humanitarian agencies warn that Venezuela faces a long road to recovery as thousands of survivors continue to await shelter, clean water, medical care and protection.
News Agency
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.