Three-year-old rescued alive six days after devastating Venezuela earthquake

A three-year-old child has been rescued alive from beneath the rubble in Venezuela’s northern La Guaira region, six days after twin earthquakes devastated parts of the country, as humanitarian agencies warn that relief needs continue to grow.

 

The child was pulled from the debris during an ongoing search and rescue operation in one of the areas hardest hit by the June 24 earthquakes, which measured magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 and struck less than a minute apart.

 

The rescue comes amid a worsening humanitarian crisis, with authorities confirming nearly 2,000 deaths and more than 6,400 people rescued since the disaster. Tens of thousands of survivors remain without adequate shelter.

 

The United Nations has warned that humanitarian needs are increasing as search efforts continue.

 

“As the death toll rises, needs are skyrocketing,” the UN refugee agency said in an alert.

 

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said national and international rescue teams remain on the ground in La Guaira, while UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination teams continue to assess the areas and populations most in need of assistance.

 

Authorities said about 1,000 buildings, including hospitals, have been damaged or destroyed, while more than 400 schools and water systems have also been affected.

 

UNICEF has begun delivering emergency relief supplies, with an initial 47-tonne shipment arriving in Venezuela on Tuesday, in addition to humanitarian supplies previously dispatched from Panama. The aid is expected to support more than 100,000 children and families over the next three months.

 

The shipment includes emergency health kits, maternal and newborn care supplies, medicines, water purification equipment, tents for child-friendly spaces, wheelchairs and educational materials to help children return to some sense of normalcy.

 

UNICEF Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Roberto Benes, said families urgently require safe drinking water, healthcare and shelter.

 

“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,” he said.

 

The agency estimates that about 680,000 children across the six affected states require humanitarian assistance following what it described as Venezuela’s most significant seismic disaster in more than a century.

 

UNICEF also warned that more than 600 aftershocks have been recorded since the initial earthquakes, leaving affected communities at continued risk.

 

The organisation is seeking $52 million to fund its emergency earthquake response as part of its broader 2026 humanitarian appeal for Venezuela, which remains only 35 per cent funded.