The death toll from the earthquake in Venezuela surpassed 1,700 as the UN continues to step up its response

Venezuelan authorities confirmed this on Monday at least 1,719 people have died after the June 24 earthquake, with around 5,000 people injured. About 12,000 people have been displacedand officials have not confirmed the number of missing people.

Read the latest news here.

Survivors are still emerging

In a press conference for correspondents in New York, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Venezuela, Gianluca Rampolla, said that seven people were rescued alive from the rubble on Sunday as search efforts continued.

He also reported that The UN and Venezuelan authorities have agreed to purchase 10,000 body bags in anticipation of the rising death toll.

Seven states were affected, but the largest concentration of victims was in the state of La Guaira and the capital Distrito, Caracas. About 2,500 buildings were damaged, many of them collapsing completely.

Conditions in the field are still dangerous. About 500 aftershocks have been recorded since the initial quake, including a 5.2 magnitude quake on Monday morning, while a tropical wave threatens to bring heavy rain to the affected areas.

“We continue to operate in a high-risk environment,” Rampolla said.

More than 2,000 rescuers on the ground

More than 2,000 rescue workers from 27 countries – along with more than 160 search dogs – are currently deployed to more than 40 teams.

Although search and rescue operations usually focus on the first 72 hours, teams have expanded their work after continuing to receive signs of life from beneath the rubble and finding survivors outside those windows.

“Along with search and rescue operations, we focus, together with the Government, on providing emergency health services, shelter, food assistance, water and sanitation, and logistical support to ensure not only storage but also distribution of all supplies arriving in the country, as well as protection,” Rampolla said, adding that the UN was drafting a new emergency appeal to complement existing humanitarian plans.

‘There are people who need a hug’

The UN is setting up three relief centers in La Guaira for families who have lost their homes, offering medical care, food, water, sanitation, protection and psychosocial support.

Vanessa May, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) in Venezuela, told UN News that many people have lost their sense of stability. “Moving from owning a home, from having a home, to being in a shelter or temporary residence is not an easy thinghe said.

May emphasized that emotional support is as important as food, water or medical care. “There are people who need hugs,” he said, describing families waiting for news of loved ones, and others who already knew their relatives were still buried under the rubble.

‘This will take time’

Once the search operation is complete, the UN and its partners will conduct a rapid assessment to identify needs, including those of the elderly and people with disabilities.

Debris removal and early recovery will follow, with special attention to damage to schools and hospitals.

May said the reconstruction phase requires working with authorities to determine where refugee families can be resettled and carrying out land surveys before relocating. “This will take time,” he said.

He attributed the speed of the UN’s initial response to the humanitarian architecture established in Venezuela since 2019, which brings together UN agencies, national and international NGOs, the Red Cross and other actors. Coordinating the surge in public donations – with many individuals and organizations arriving spontaneously in the affected areas – was one of the main logistical challenges.

“Never let that solidarity stop,” May said, urging continued attention to Venezuela after the initial weeks of disaster recovery.