Key facts
- Nearly 4,500 people have died in twin earthquakes in Venezuela.
- Public anger is growing over the government's response to the disaster.
- A mother confronted Nicolás Maduro Guerra, son of former president Nicolás Maduro, expressing outrage.
- Acting president Delcy Rodríguez dismissed criticism as propaganda and warned critics would be "buried".
- Residents reported feeling abandoned and left to dig for relatives themselves.
- The government has deployed thousands of troops to aid in the response.
Public anger is escalating in Venezuela over the government's handling of twin earthquakes that have claimed nearly 4,500 lives. The perceived inept response has led to widespread criticism, even in traditionally pro-government areas.
During a visit to a damaged housing project, congressman Nicolás Maduro Guerra, son of former president Nicolás Maduro, was confronted by Damely Yaneth Díaz, a mother who lost her daughter in the quakes. Díaz publicly berated Guerra, demanding accountability and stating, "The lot of you should be arrested. This was recklessness and you must pay!" Bystanders cheered her on, urging journalists to continue filming the altercation.
US-backed acting president Delcy Rodríguez has dismissed the criticism as a propaganda campaign, while insisting that the administration and armed forces are working tirelessly. She partially attributed the slow response to the deaths of top officials in the affected region. However, Rodríguez has largely avoided direct engagement with victims' families, opting instead to address troops. In a televised speech to soldiers, she controversially stated that critics of the government and armed forces "will be buried," further angering families still searching for loved ones.
Residents in the hardest-hit areas, such as La Guaira, have expressed outrage over feeling abandoned in the crucial hours and days following the earthquakes, resorting to digging out trapped relatives with basic tools and their bare hands. Maduro Guerra, when questioned about the collapse of government housing, stated he was not an architect and that private developments had also fallen. He expressed understanding for the grieving mother's fury.
The disaster has amplified long-standing opposition to the socialist regime, which many blame for Venezuela's prolonged economic and humanitarian crisis. The White House has continued to support Rodríguez's administration, sending nearly 1,000 military personnel to assist. Francisco González, a removal man, contrasted the current government's response with that of Hugo Chávez during the 1999 landslides, lamenting the current leadership and suggesting, "I think God is punishing the politicians."