UN Mobilises Aid as Venezuela Earthquake Overwhelms Crippled Health Facilities

UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced the organisation is mobilising aid and working closely with the Venezuelan government and partners to support the post-earthquake response. Guterres stated he was deeply saddened by the loss of life caused by the major earthquake.

Tom Fletcher, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, added that humanitarian leaders will soon meet in Geneva to strategise the escalation of the aid response. The UN has begun deploying teams to the affected areas after its humanitarian coordinator in Caracas communicated directly with Executive President Delcy Rodríguez regarding the main priorities.

Several countries, including the United States, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Switzerland, Qatar, Mexico, Brazil, Caribbean nations, Syria, the United Kingdom, Russia, and Spain, have offered emergency support.

On the ground, the situation is described as critical. Global health NGO Project Hope, which operates 55 health centres across eight Venezuelan states, reported that facilities are overwhelmed. César Jiménez, a Project Hope aid worker, said the scale of the disaster has completely paralysed local preparedness, which was already strained by years of economic and political crisis.

“No country can be ready, but we tried,” Jiménez said. “This kind of disaster caught us off guard. You cannot even count the number of people seeking help.”

Jiménez recounted the terrifying moment the earthquake struck, describing how the shaking started softly but intensified rapidly, lasting for more than a minute and making it impossible to stand. He reported that health facilities, particularly in La Guaira, suffered severe structural damage and are now collapsing under the sheer volume of people seeking medical attention. The most urgent needs are for medical supplies, including bandages, surgical sutures, and essential medicines.