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The death toll continues to rise, while initial assessments estimate the direct physical damage caused by the disaster at $6.7 billion.
At the request of the Venezuelan Government, 44 international urban search and rescue teams, known as USAR, have deployed 2,245 specialists and 140 search dogs to extract possible survivors from collapsed buildings and provide initial medical care, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said. reported on Saturday .
Ocha has activated emergency response mechanisms and supported the arrival and coordination of teams in the country.
Rescue teams came from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Peru and the Dominican Republic; as well as from Germany, Czechia, Spain, the United States, France, Italy, Jordan, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Qatar, the United Kingdom, Serbia, Syria, Switzerland and Turkey.
On June 27, the authorities at least confirmed this 1,430 people were killed and 3,238 others were injured following two devastating earthquakes that struck the north of the country on June 24.
Damage equivalent to six percent of GDP
While the rescue operation continues, it is still in the early stages satellite assessment by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) estimates that the earthquake caused direct physical damage of $6.7 billion, equivalent to about six percent of the country’s gross domestic product.
The estimates, calculated using a Rapid Digital Analysis tool known as RAPIDA, estimate a range of losses between $4.7 billion and $8.7 billion. This figure includes damage to homes and economic assets, but does not take into account damage to infrastructure, disruption of economic activity, or long-term reconstruction costs.
Earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale rocked northern Venezuela and were felt in the capital Caracas and in the states of La Guaira, Carabobo, Miranda, Yaracuy and Aragua.
According to UNDP about 8.6 million people were affected by moderate to severe shocks, including about 2.1 million people who experienced the strongest shocks. The assessment also estimates that 1.7 million buildings are located in the affected areas.
Possible power outage
Satellite data also showed possible power outages in parts of Carabobo, La Guaira, Caracas and Aragua, after detecting reduced nighttime lighting following the earthquake.
“The speed and accuracy of initial assessments is critical for an effective response,” said Luis Francisco Thais, UNDP Representative in Venezuela.
“Tools like RAPIDA help us make quicker, evidence-based decisions to support impacted communities,” he added.
The agency explained that it will continue to analyze satellite imagery at higher resolution to support authorities in assessing casualties, displacement and recovery needs.
