In the aftermath of twin earthquakes in Venezuela that claimed over 1,700 lives, grieving families are condemning the state for its perceived lack of assistance. Interim President Delcy Rodriguez labeled the event the country’s most severe natural disaster, yet citizens remain frustrated by the slow and inadequate official response.
At a 12-storey collapsed building in La Guaira, desperate relatives like Miguel Oscar Nunez and Kevin Montilla have voiced anger over the authorities’ failure to prioritize rescue operations. Many survivors were forced to rely on community members, volunteers, and makeshift tools to clear debris, as official teams arrived days late to some locations and entirely avoided others.
Deilisbeth Herreira, who is searching for her two missing daughters, described the experience as being completely abandoned by the government. Similar sentiments were shared by residents near the Bello Horizonte complex, where locals like Juan Avendo and William Rodrigues took it upon themselves to dig for trapped victims. Despite some international aid arriving, families fear that many victims remain buried and that the true scale of the tragedy will never be fully realized.
