New York, July 02 (QNA) - The United Nations confirmed that tens of thousands of people remained without adequate shelter a week after the two devastating earthquakes struck the Venezuela, amid escalating humanitarian needs and ongoing relief and rescue operations.

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said in a statement that "as the death toll rises, needs are skyrocketing." According to the authorities, nearly 2,000 deaths have been confirmed and more than 6,400 people have been rescued so far. 

The UNHCR explained that UN agencies are continuing to scale up their response to the crisis. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has airlifted enough enough supplies for 100,000 people for three months, while UNHCR has provided shelter for displaced people.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is coordinating the work of dozens of international search and rescue teams that are continuing their operations in the affected areas, while the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination Team (UNDAC) is continuing to assess urgent needs in the most affected communities.

The United Nations noted that the two earthquakes damaged or destroyed 1,000 buildings, including hospitals, as well as more than 400 schools and parts of water networks, increasing the scale of the challenges facing relief efforts and the restoration of basic services. (QNA)