Key facts
- Venezuelan citizens are accusing the government of negligence and apathy following recent earthquakes.
- At least 1,700 people have died in the earthquakes, with many trapped under rubble.
- Residents in La Guaira reported that official rescue efforts were delayed and insufficient.
- Many families and volunteers initiated their own rescue operations.
- The government's response has been described as frustrating and impotent by affected citizens.
Angry citizens in Venezuela are accusing the government of negligence and apathy in its response to recent earthquakes that have killed at least 1,700 people. In the coastal town of La Guaira, residents described a slow and inadequate rescue operation, with many resorting to desperate self-rescue efforts to find loved ones trapped under collapsed buildings.
Families gathered at the site of a destroyed 12-storey building, waiting for news of relatives. Miguel Oscar Nunez expressed his anger, stating that his son could die due to the authorities' inaction. Kevin Montilla echoed these sentiments, calling the government's response "frustrating and impotent" and noting that community members were the first responders.
Rescue teams, including those from Venezuela and Colombia, were eventually deployed with heavy machinery, but families felt precious days had been wasted. Some areas of La Guaira state have not yet been reached by search teams. Deilisbeth Herreira is desperately searching for her two teenage daughters, lamenting that it feels like she has been left alone to find them.
Residents reported that police were present but not actively assisting in rescue efforts. Juan Avendo and his nephew Enyer Musics recounted how they pulled a woman alive from the debris using their bare hands after hearing her screams. The first official firefighters arrived nearly two days after the earthquake, and operations were later called off, leaving many to fear that the true scale of the disaster may never be known.