Government Defends Earthquake Response Amid Rising Death Toll
Venezuela's interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, has defended the government's emergency response to the twin earthquakes on 24 June that have killed more than 3,000 people. Speaking during a military ceremony for Venezuela's independence day, Rodríguez vowed the country would not descend into social unrest despite widespread anger over the official response. 'There will be no social unrest here – what we have here is deep social solidarity,' she said, adding that thousands of public officials and rescue teams had been deployed to dig out victims and find survivors.
Death Toll Surpasses 3,300; Thousands Injured
On Sunday night, Venezuela's information ministry reported that the death toll had risen to 3,342, with over 16,700 people injured. The earthquakes, which measured 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude, rank among Latin America's worst earthquake disasters. Scores of buildings collapsed, leaving thousands homeless, particularly in the coastal La Guaira area north of Caracas. Eleven days after the shocks, international rescue teams were concluding operations to find more survivors, while families continued searching for loved ones buried under rubble.
Families Struggle to Recover and Bury Loved Ones
Rosa López recounted the ordeal of finding her son-in-law, José Antonio Toledo, a 25-year-old security guard who died when the building where he worked collapsed. After crews recovered his body, hospitals turned them away due to lack of space. The body was eventually transferred to an open parking lot. A forensic doctor helped the family identify him on Saturday, but they could not afford the $450 (around £350) a funeral home charged. Late that night, the mayor's office offered a free cemetery plot, and López and her daughter buried Toledo within the hour. 'He was an exemplary person, a boy who liked helping people,' López said.
Mass Graves Likely as Body Count Expected to Rise
Forensic technician Joel Mirabal, who has worked for seven straight days since the earthquakes, estimates that in 60% to 70% of cases, a relative or neighbor can identify a body when he collects it. However, many rely on tattoos, scars, or clothing because the victims 'don't look even 10% like what they were in real life.' Unidentified bodies are sent to forensic specialists at La Guaira seaport, where private companies have donated cooling containers, but the number of dead continues to grow. 'Obviously, mass graves will have to be created,' Mirabal said, noting that the collapse is massive and bodies are buried under many layers of debris. He and other forensic technicians expect to spend up to three months collecting bodies.
