Abu dhabi: As the death toll rises from Venezuela's twin earthquakes, needs are skyrocketing, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said in an online alert on Tuesday. According to the authorities, nearly 2,000 deaths have been confirmed and more than 6,400 people have been rescued so far. The 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude quakes struck less than a minute apart, on 24 June.

According to Emirates News Agency, the UN quake response includes several coordinated efforts from various agencies. UNICEF has flown in enough supplies to support 100,000 people for three months, while UNHCR is providing shelter and warning that many basic needs are increasing. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is coordinating dozens of international rescue teams still at work, and the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team is assessing urgent needs across the worst-hit communities.

Multiple UN agencies and partners remain on the ground in the hardest-hit areas, working alongside local authorities and aid partners to help families access essential services such as shelter, healthcare, and protection. 'Every life matters,' the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, insisted on Wednesday, as national and international search and rescue teams remained on the ground in La Guaira.

UNICEF estimates that some 680,000 children need humanitarian assistance across the six states affected by the earthquakes. These quakes are the most significant seismic event to strike Venezuela in more than a century. 'Communities remain at risk from continuing aftershocks, which have numbered more than 600 since the initial quakes,' UNICEF noted.

To address the urgent needs arising from the disaster, UNICEF estimates that $52 million is required as part of its wider 2026 Humanitarian Action for Children appeal for Venezuela. This appeal stands at $137.6 million and was, prior to the earthquakes, only 35 percent funded.