Venezuela’s US‑backed acting president Delcy Rodríguez on Thursday delivered a forceful defence of her administration’s handling of last week’s catastrophic earthquakes, pushing back against mounting criticism from residents, experts and international observers. Speaking at a press conference in Caracas, Rodríguez dismissed allegations of a sluggish response, rejected suggestions that the real death toll is far higher than reported, and denied claims that poorly built social‑housing projects worsened the disaster.
Her government still seeking legitimacy months after the United States removed Nicolás Maduro from power in January has faced intense scrutiny from survivors in La Guaira, the hardest‑hit state. Residents say the absence of a coordinated search‑and‑rescue effort in the crucial early hours left communities to dig through rubble with their bare hands. Emergency workers have also lamented shortages of specialised equipment, which slowed efforts to locate survivors.
Experts have pointed to longstanding structural weaknesses in Venezuela’s social‑housing developments, many built during the tenure of former president Hugo Chávez, arguing that substandard construction left neighbourhoods dangerously vulnerable.
Rodríguez, wearing a black mourning ribbon, rejected those claims outright. “We did not wait one day, two days or three days. We activated immediately,” she said, accusing journalists of spreading misinformation. “To politicize a humanitarian tragedy like this when the Venezuelan government and its authorities have spared no effort, public, private, national, or international is disgraceful.”
Authorities have confirmed at least 2,295 deaths as of Wednesday, though the toll is expected to rise. No updated figure was provided Thursday, and officials have maintained tight control over public communications and relief operations.
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