UN estimates nearly 6.8mil people may be affected by Venezuela quakes

GENEVA: Close to seven million people may have been impacted by the twin earthquakes in Venezuela, which have killed nearly 1,000 people and left tens of thousands missing, the UN estimated on Saturday.

The UN migration agency said it had examined available population and damage data and had determined that “up to 6.76 million people could be affected by the devastating earthquakes that struck Venezuela on 24th June”.

The projections, which include up to two million people in Caracas alone, “highlight the potentially vast humanitarian impact of the disaster”, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) warned in a statement.

Entire buildings have crumbled in La Guaira, located to the north of Caracas, following devastating twin tremors of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 on Wednesday.

The national death toll stands at 920, while people remain trapped under the rubble in the coastal city and elsewhere.

And UN aid chief Tom Fletcher told AFP Friday that more than 50,000 people were missing.

IOM said it had worked with the Microsoft AI for Good Lab on initial satellite mapping analysis, which showed that 31.5% of buildings in the town of Catia La Mar had been damaged.

Such assessments, it said, were helping humanitarian responders identify the communities most affected and prioritise where to deliver life-saving aid, even as ground assessments continue.

“The first hours and days after a disaster are decisive. They shape everything that follows,” IOM chief Amy Pope said in the statement.

“IOM is scaling up rapidly: prepositioned relief items are already being deployed, and we are working with the Government and partners to deliver emergency shelter, essential supplies, and protection,” she added.

Warning that displacement was sure to rise in the country, which was already facing a humanitarian crisis before the quakes hit, Pope stressed that “a swift response is essential as we deliver life-saving assistance and support the people of Venezuela through the difficult days and months ahead”.

The UN migration agency stressed that needs were “immediate and significant”, with families who have lost everything requiring everything from emergency shelter, safe water and sanitation services to healthcare and protection support.

IOM said that it had prepositioned emergency relief supplies in Caracas which were “now being prepared for distribution to communities with the greatest needs”.

It called on the international community to act swiftly to support the response, stressing that “timely humanitarian assistance will save lives, alleviate suffering and help affected communities begin the long road to recovery”.