UN Seeks $296 Million for Venezuela Earthquake Relief
VENEZUELA- The United Nations launched an emergency appeal on Wednesday for $296 million to support relief operations in Venezuela after the country’s devastating earthquakes killed more than 3,600 people and left thousands homeless, intensifying one of Latin America’s worst natural disasters in recent years.
The appeal aims to provide humanitarian assistance to 1.3 million people over the next six months as rescue efforts transition to recovery operations in areas hardest hit by the June 24 earthquakes.
U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said donors had already begun contributing to the relief effort and thanked countries providing assistance. He said the funding was needed to address urgent humanitarian needs created by the disaster.
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil used the U.N. meeting to call for the release of Venezuelan state assets frozen abroad, arguing the funds should be made available to support reconstruction.
Gil said accounts belonging to the Venezuelan government remained blocked in several countries as a result of sanctions, specifically referring to gold held in Britain and financial assets frozen by the United States.
The United States has already suspended a number of economic sanctions on Venezuela for four months to facilitate humanitarian relief operations.
Washington imposed broad economic sanctions on Venezuela beginning in 2019 as part of its policy toward the government of former President Nicolas Maduro, whom it regarded as illegitimate. Relations have since improved following the removal of Maduro from power in January, with the Trump administration backing interim President Delcy Rodriguez and gradually easing sanctions, including measures intended to support the development of Venezuela’s oil sector.
The United Nations estimates the earthquakes caused approximately $6.7 billion in damage, equivalent to about 6% of Venezuela’s gross domestic product. Even before the disaster, the country had faced years of economic hardship that weakened infrastructure and public health services.
Commercial flights to Caracas remain disrupted after the capital’s international airport sustained damage during the earthquakes.
Government figures updated on Tuesday put the death toll at 3,685, with nearly 17,000 people injured. Authorities said almost 18,000 people had been left homeless after residential buildings collapsed, particularly in the coastal city of La Guaira.
International search-and-rescue teams have largely concluded efforts to locate survivors, shifting their focus to recovering victims’ bodies. Families, however, continue searching through the rubble in hopes of finding missing relatives.
In La Guaira’s Caraballeda district, residents searched damaged neighborhoods for food, water and other essential supplies while relying on aid donations. Nearby, excavators continued clearing debris from collapsed apartment buildings as relatives waited for news of missing family members.
The June 24 earthquakes measured magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, making them among the most destructive seismic events to strike Venezuela in recent decades and prompting a large-scale international humanitarian response.
