Toddler Rescued Alive Six Days After Venezuela Quakes

A three-year-old child has been rescued alive from the rubble in La Guaira, six days after the twin earthquakes that devastated northern Venezuela, offering a rare moment of hope amid the ongoing disaster.

The 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes, which struck less than a minute apart on June 24, have left nearly 2,000 people dead, damaged about 1,000 buildings, and displaced tens of thousands.

“As the death toll rises, needs are skyrocketing,” the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said, noting that more than 6,400 people have been rescued so far.

UN agencies, including UNICEF, OCHA and UNDAC, are working with local authorities to provide shelter, healthcare, protection and other emergency assistance.

“Every life matters,” OCHA said, as rescue teams continued search operations in La Guaira.

UNDAC public information officer Veronique Durroux said teams are assessing “where and for whom humanitarian assistance is needed.”

UNICEF has delivered an initial 47-tonne shipment of emergency supplies, alongside earlier aid from Panama, expected to support more than 100,000 children and families over the next three months.

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“UNICEF is on the ground and working around the clock to reach as many children and families as possible,” UNICEF’s Gabriel Vockel said.

“The first flights with water, medicine and many other supplies have reached the country and we are grateful for the solidarity.

“And we ask for donations to UNICEF because with more funds, we can save more lives, reach more children, and reach as many families as possible.”

The shipment includes medical kits, maternity and newborn supplies, water purification equipment, tents for child-friendly spaces, wheelchairs and educational materials.

“Families across the affected states are in urgent need of safe water, as well as access to health care,” UNICEF Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Roberto Benes, said.

“Many are sleeping outside, afraid of more aftershocks. These supplies will help us reach children and families with what they need most right now…But the needs on the ground are far greater than what’s arrived.”

UNICEF estimates that about 680,000 children need humanitarian assistance across the six affected states. The agency also warned that “Communities remain at risk from continuing aftershocks, which have numbered more than 600 since the initial quakes,” and appealed for 52 million dollars to support its earthquake response.