Angry Venezuelan citizens in the coastal town of La Guaira accused the government of severe negligence and slow response on Monday following last week`s twin earthquakes, according to BBC News and Reuters. The devastating dual earthquakes, which struck northern Venezuela on Wednesday, have claimed at least 1719 lives and injured over 5000 people. Interim President Delcy Rodriguez designated the affected coastal regions as a disaster zone and called it the most brutal natural catastrophe in the nation`s history. Despite official statements, grief-stricken residents expressed deep frustration, claiming that precious days were wasted before structured rescue teams and heavy machinery arrived at the collapse sites.
At a collapsed twelve-story residential building by a busy road in La Guaira, rescue operators from Venezuela and Colombia frequently demanded absolute silence to listen for signs of life. Family members huddled nearby, holding their breath as diggers and cranes fell silent, but no sounds emerged from the concrete slabs. Miguel Oscar Nunez, whose thirty-four-year-old son Angel remains trapped beneath the rubble, openly criticized the state authorities for their inadequate deployment of resources. He emphasized that while the earthquake itself might not have killed his son, prolonged government inaction and negligence certainly could. Another resident, Kevin Montilla, echoed these sentiments, describing the initial response as completely incompetent since only local community volunteers attempted to help during the critical first hours.
Similar scenes of desperation unfolded across the Bello Horizonte complex, where two high-rise apartment blocks collapsed into massive heaps of debris. Volunteers and relatives wearing rubber gloves and face masks used spades and crowbars to dig through the wreckage amid a growing stench of decomposition. Sixty-year-old Juan Avendo described how he and his nephew used their bare hands to claw through the dust to successfully rescue a trapped woman after hearing her screams. Residents noted that while police forces were present near the disaster zones, they primarily stood watch rather than actively participating in the hazardous digging operations. What remains unclear is how the fragile interim administration will manage the long-term displacement of more than 15000 people who have been left entirely homeless.
The catastrophe represents the first major administrative and political test for the government as public anger continues to mount. The United States Geological Survey reported that more than 600 aftershocks have rattled the region since Wednesday, causing further panic and forcing thousands to sleep in open plazas. National Assembly leader Jorge Rodriguez stated on national television that emergency teams are racing to evaluate hundreds of severely damaged structures that remain at risk of total collapse. Meanwhile, affected families in the most impoverished sectors of La Guaira complain that state assistance has not reached them at all, leaving them entirely on their own to find missing loved ones.
