Residents in areas devastated by recent twin earthquakes are accusing the Venezuelan government of negligence and apathy, citing a delayed and inadequate response to the disaster. Many described the late arrival of official rescue teams and expressed frustration with the lack of support.
William Rodrigues, searching for his uncle in the rubble, stated, "Help arrived very late in most places, and in some, it has still not arrived." He noted the presence of police near affected complexes but observed they were not actively participating in rescue efforts. "The stench is horrible here. But I'm still trying because I'm looking for my uncle. We cannot just stand by idly when there's the possibility that there might be people alive under the rubble," Rodrigues said.
Juan Avendo, whose home was destroyed, recounted hearing screams from trapped individuals and attempting rescue efforts with his bare hands. "We could hear the screams and shouts of people trapped under the rubble. So we tried to help them ourselves, using our bare hands, clawing through the debris with our nails," he said. Avendo and his nephew Enyer Musics managed to pull one woman out alive after hearing her cries through the night and locating her the following morning.
Official Venezuelan firefighters did not arrive until nearly two days after the earthquake struck. International assistance, including teams from El Salvador and the United States, also joined the rescue operations. However, the recovery efforts were called off on Sunday. Juan estimates that hundreds may remain buried, their bodies potentially undiscovered, leaving the full scale of the disaster unknown.
