Rescue workers in Venezuela have pulled a three-year-old child alive from the rubble in the earthquake-ravaged city of La Guaira, six days after twin earthquakes devastated the country’s northern coast.
The remarkable rescue comes days after emergency responders also saved an 18-day-old baby who survived 32 hours beneath the debris of a collapsed building.
LEADERSHIP had earlier reported that the newborn was rescued alive after the June 24 disaster, with dramatic footage shared on social media showing emergency workers carefully lifting the infant from the wreckage under floodlights before handing the child over to medics.
According to social media user, Andreina Quintero, who posted the video, the baby escaped the ordeal without injuries despite spending more than a day trapped beneath the rubble.
The latest rescue of the three-year-old has offered another glimmer of hope amid the humanitarian crisis triggered by the twin earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude, which struck less than a minute apart.
The United Nations refugee agency said the humanitarian situation continued to worsen as thousands of survivors remained displaced.
“As the death toll rises, needs are skyrocketing,” the agency said in an online update.
Venezuelan authorities have confirmed nearly 2,000 deaths, while more than 6,400 people have been rescued since the disaster struck.
Search and rescue operations remained active across the hardest-hit areas, with national and international emergency teams continuing efforts to locate survivors in La Guaira.
“Every life matters,” the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Wednesday, reaffirming its commitment to ongoing rescue operations.
The UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) teams were also conducting assessments to identify communities requiring urgent humanitarian assistance.
UNDAC public information officer Veronique Durroux said the teams were working to determine “where and for whom humanitarian assistance is needed.”
The earthquakes caused extensive destruction, damaging or destroying about 1,000 buildings, including hospitals, more than 400 schools and critical water infrastructure.
To support relief efforts, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has begun delivering emergency supplies into Venezuela.
A 47-tonne shipment arrived on Tuesday, complementing an earlier consignment from Panama delivered on June 28. Together, the supplies are expected to provide assistance to more than 100,000 children and their families over the next three months.
Speaking from La Guaira, UNICEF’s Gabriel Vockel said humanitarian workers were racing against time to reach affected communities.
“UNICEF is on the ground and working around the clock to reach as many children and families as possible. The first flights with water, medicine and many other supplies have reached the country, and we are grateful for the solidarity,” Vockel said.
“And we ask for donations to UNICEF because with more funds, we can save more lives, reach more children, and reach as many families as possible.”
The shipment, facilitated by the European Union through UNICEF’s logistics hub in Copenhagen, includes emergency health kits, medical supplies for newborns and pregnant women, water purification equipment, storage containers, wheelchairs, tents for child-friendly spaces, and educational and recreational materials to help children regain a sense of normalcy.
UNICEF Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Roberto Benes, warned that the humanitarian needs far exceed the aid received so far.
“Families across the affected states are in urgent need of safe water, as well as access to health care,” Benes said.
“Many are sleeping outside, afraid of more aftershocks. These supplies will help us reach children and families with what they need most right now. But the needs on the ground are far greater than what’s arrived.”
UNICEF estimated that about 680,000 children across the six states affected by the earthquakes required humanitarian assistance.
The agency also warned that more than 600 aftershocks have been recorded since the initial earthquakes, leaving communities vulnerable to further damage and displacement.
UNICEF estimated that it required $52 million to respond to the earthquake emergency as part of its broader 2026 Humanitarian Action for Children appeal for Venezuela, which seeks $137.6 million but was only 35 per cent funded before the disaster struck.
