Venezuela’s Interim President Hits Back at Critics Over Earthquake Response

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enezuela’s interim president rejects criticism over earthquake response

Venezuela’s US-backed interim President Delcy Rodríguez has defended her government’s response to last week’s deadly earthquakes, rejecting allegations of delays in rescue operations, dismissing claims that the death toll is being underreported and pushing back against criticism over the country’s social housing projects.

Addressing foreign journalists in Caracas on Thursday, Rodríguez insisted authorities responded immediately after the disaster and accused critics of exploiting the tragedy for political purposes.

“We did not wait one day, two days or three days. We activated immediately,” Rodríguez said. “To politicize a humanitarian tragedy like this… is disgraceful.”

The earthquake response has become the biggest test yet for Rodríguez, who assumed office after the United States-backed removal of former president Nicolás Maduro earlier this year.

Rescue efforts come under scrutiny

Residents in the worst-affected state of La Guaira have accused the government of mounting a slow and poorly coordinated rescue effort, saying families and neighbours were left to search for survivors before emergency teams arrived.

Rescue workers have also cited shortages of heavy equipment and specialised machinery, while experts argue that poorly constructed government housing in some areas worsened the scale of the destruction.

Authorities have confirmed 2,295 deaths so far, though the toll is expected to rise. The government has not released an official figure for those still missing.

An opposition-backed online portal has meanwhile received more than 38,000 reports of missing people, although officials have not recognised those numbers.

When asked about reports that the actual death toll could be significantly higher, Rodríguez defended the government’s figures.

“We do not want to speculate. The numbers we provide are rigorously verified,” she said.

Survivor rescued after eight days

In a rare breakthrough, emergency teams rescued 43-year-old security guard Hernán Alberto Gil Flores alive from the rubble nearly eight days after the earthquakes. Flores survived by remaining inside an air pocket beneath a collapsed shopping mall, where rescuers supplied him with food and water through narrow gaps before pulling him to safety.

The rescue offered a brief moment of hope as operations across La Guaira increasingly shifted from searching for survivors to recovering bodies.

Political uncertainty looms

Rodríguez’s remarks came just a day before the scheduled expiry of her 180-day interim mandate, adding uncertainty over the country’s political roadmap. Under Venezuela’s constitution, the National Assembly can extend an acting president’s tenure or move towards fresh elections if the presidency is declared permanently vacant.

International assistance continues

Rodríguez said Venezuela had accepted assistance from countries across the political spectrum and thanked the United States, Israel and other nations for their support.

The United States has pledged more than $300 million in aid and deployed about 900 military personnel to assist rescue and relief operations. US officials have also said funds linked to Venezuelan oil revenues will be made available to support reconstruction efforts.