Venezuela earthquakes: Impact and MSF response
After devastating 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes on June 24, hundreds are dead and thousands injured, as search efforts continue and MSF supports hospitals with emergency trauma care.
What is happening?
Magnitude 7.5 earthquakes that hit Venezuela on June 24 leaves over 580 confirmed dead and over 2,900 injured. People are still under the rubble as search and rescue continues relentlessly. Numbers are feared to increase.
Many people are displaced and have lost their houses. There are still many connectivity issues due to the destruction of infrastructure, so people are still desperately trying to contact missing friends and family.
Is MSF staff safe?
Our colleagues are all accounted for but many of them have had households loses, family members and friends.
How is MSF responding?
In the first three days after similar dramatic events, the most critical needs are linked to search and rescue and to respond to the immediate urgent needs. Local authorities and organisations have been deployed, and we are in close contact with the ministry of health and other local partners ready to support further needs.
Many hospitals and services have also been highly affected. Yesterday, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) donated over 200 emergency trauma kits to the hospital of José María Vargas Hospital in La Guaira, one of the city’s most hit by the earthquake. Today we will donate another 400 emergency trauma kits to other hospitals. Emergency trauma kits are designed to treat life-threatening injuries like severe bleeding, open chest wounds, and obstructed airways. Unlike a standard first aid kit meant for minor cuts, trauma kits focus on preventing rapid blood loss before emergency responders arrive.
How does MSF respond in emergencies like this one?
From MSF experience in earthquakes, the mental health component is also very important but not always prioritized. We will see what the current capacity is, and we are ready to provide mental health support.
MSF in Venezuela
MSF has been in present in Venezuela since 2015. Currently we have projects in the region of Delta Amacuro and in Anzoátegui. These regions have not been directly affected by the earthquake, but we are sending emergency material from these projects and ready to deploy people from our regular projects in case of need.
