UN says it has mobilized search-and-rescue and relief coordination after Venezuela quakes

The United Nations said it had mobilized international and in-country teams to respond to devastating earthquakes in Venezuela, with urban search-and-rescue units being coordinated through a central hub in Caracas.

The UN spokesperson told reporters the Secretary-General was "deeply saddened by the loss of life and widespread destruction" and that the UN and its humanitarian partners, including the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), were working closely with Venezuelan authorities to get aid to the hardest-hit areas. "OCHA is facilitating the deployment of urban search and rescue teams," the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said initial reports indicate significant damage across several states including Caracas, with people killed, injured and trapped. The government has declared a state of emergency, and the UN said it has a large presence in Venezuela—"about 800 or so staff, including nationals and internationals, who ... are all safe and sound," the spokesperson added.

The UN warned that the need for assistance will outlast the immediate rescue phase. "This will be a long haul," the spokesperson said, noting existing humanitarian needs in the country meant the earthquake "will continue, for months to come." The UN appealed for donor funding to scale up relief and contingency planning to expand food, shelter and medical assistance.

The briefing said OCHA is coordinating incoming international teams and that some search-and-rescue contingents were expected to arrive in the coming hours. The spokesperson said precise casualty figures remain uncertain and that UN coordination teams will adapt their response as more accurate assessments become available.

The briefing paused to bring in Pekka Haavisto, the Secretary-General's personal envoy for Sudan, for a later update.