Venezuelan earthquake survivors decry bumbling government response

LA GUERA, Venezuela (AP) — Angelica Mondrin wants the bodies of her son, niece and nephew recovered from the rubble of her beachfront flat. She had spent every minute of the past six days waiting for the heavy machinery needed to remove the slabs of concrete and twisted metal that trapped them.

So did other survivors of the Venezuelan earthquake.

They, like others in the northern state of La Guaira, have the same question: Who is in charge? Many said Venezuela’s self-described socialist government, which has long prided itself on being protector and provider, was not doing so when it mattered most.

Successive powerful earthquakes that struck the country on June 24 highlighted the inability of the party that has ruled the country for 27 years – now with acting president Delcy Rodriguez – to carry out basic government tasks.

“We have been abandoned,” Mondrin said as she sat in a chair on the street Tuesday in front of what remained of the 11-story building she once called her home. “We feel helpless. What we saw was a lack of organization, a lack of compassion, a lack of everything.”

In the critical 72 hours after the explosion of residential buildings, food stores, pharmacies, hotels and stores in the state of La Guaira, Caracas and surrounding areas, the field response focused primarily on directing traffic, with police officers, intelligence agents and members of the armed forces guarding intersections.

Residents take charge of rescue and recovery amid government failure

Civilians, most of them alone and some with the help of foreign rescuers, searched for their loved ones among piles of rubble. Ambulances were stuck in traffic jams miles (kilometres) long. Hospitals were short of supplies and understaffed. Emergency personnel responded with little or no equipment.

A week later, many residents of coastal communities in La Guaira were crediting most of the rescues and recovery operations to fellow Venezuelans and foreign teams who had the knowledge and equipment such as thermal cameras and sound detectors as well as trained dogs. They also noted that while civilians and foreign rescue workers worked, men and women in Venezuelan uniforms stood and watched and state employees took selfies.

David Smiled, a professor at Tulane University who has studied Venezuela for three decades, said the tragedy made clear that the stunning capture of former President Nicolas Maduro on January 3 by US forces was not a one-time event in which the Venezuelan state “was completely unable to defend itself.”

Sign up for Morning Wire: Our flagship newsletter features the day’s top headlines.

“It also can’t do anything like start picking people up,” he said, adding that it should be a concern for Rodriguez, who was sworn in after Maduro was ousted and flown to New York to face drug trafficking charges.

Debris floats in the swimming pool of a building that collapsed in the two earthquakes that struck La Guaira, Venezuela, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Debris floats in the swimming pool of a building that collapsed in the two earthquakes that struck La Guaira, Venezuela, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your favorite source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Read more

People reach out for supplies from volunteers, days after an earthquake in La Guaira, Venezuela, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

People reach out for supplies from volunteers, days after an earthquake in La Guaira, Venezuela, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your favorite source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Read more

Residents search among the rubble of a building that collapsed in the earthquakes in La Guaira, Venezuela, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Residents search among the rubble of a building that collapsed in the earthquakes in La Guaira, Venezuela, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your favorite source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Read more

The dismal response is linked to the huge numbers of people leaving the public sector due to very low wages as well as corruption, such as many people who are on the government payroll but have not worked for months or years, Smilde said. He added that in a functioning government, people have specific duties to design protocols detailing procedures in emergency situations, including earthquakes.

“It’s like trying to put together a baseball team with three people on the field,” he said of the government’s lack of organization. “You’re not sure who’s going to be the pitcher, who’s going to catch the ball, who’s going to be the outfielder.”

Wealth and government connections mean some get help

Wealth and government connections also influenced government response, with some sites given preferential treatment.

When one of the collapsed buildings was crowded with students from police and military schools, people accurately guessed that officials or politically connected individuals must have lived there. Police officers from a neighboring state were already searching for a captain, while students and a few members of the National Guard were hoping to locate a general.

Rescuers from Spain mobilize though an earthquake-hit area in La Guaira, Venezuela, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubilos)

Rescuers from Spain mobilize though an earthquake-hit area in La Guaira, Venezuela, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubilos)

Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your favorite source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Read more

A telescopic crane, like the one Mondrin needed to get her family back, had been parked for several hours in the hallway of that building. Relatives of well-off families living in the building were able to rent it. Mondrin can’t.

“I think if there was someone in a position of authority in each of these apartments, there would be a well-oiled machine running just like in the other residences,” Mondrin said, pointing to her apartment building.

People’s anger at the reaction also led to quarrels between residents and machine operators. In one case, when a government-provided excavator tried to leave the site of a flattened public housing building, people blocked traffic to keep it in place, even pulling the operator from the cab.

The government reported on Wednesday that 2,295 people died and more than 11,200 were injured in the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes that struck on June 24. Thousands more were reported missing.

“We continue to support the affected families and directly supervise the care and recovery efforts in La Guaira,” Rodriguez posted on Wednesday X. “I know that many Venezuelans feel pain and frustration; I deeply share these feelings.”

Rescuers on Tuesday continued to free some survivors from mountains of rubble, giving stricken families a glimmer of hope even as the likelihood of finding people alive dwindles with every passing hour. Desperation led two women to fight late at night, with one pulling the other into the mud next to a flattened building after one of them refused to remain silent while rescuers tried to listen for signs of life among the rubble.

The first 48 to 72 hours after a natural disaster are critical for rescue efforts, although survival can be extended if people have access to food and water.

Electrician Daniel Castillo managed to pull his mother and son alive from their second-floor apartment in a collapsed apartment building in La Guaira just hours after the earthquake. His brother’s body remained inside for another day until he was able to reach him.

On Tuesday, he criticized the government’s response as he waited in line for a free bag of hygiene products, including toilet paper and soap, from a tent guarded by Venezuela’s armed forces.

“You see the guards, and their uniforms are clean, not dirty at all,” Castillo said, comparing members of the Venezuelan National Guard to civilians covered in dust and foreign rescue workers who have been digging under the rubble for days. “The government did nothing.”

Rescue workers stand on the ruins of a building that collapsed during the earthquakes that struck La Guaira, Venezuela, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. Houses in the Caribe neighborhood are shown above. (AP Photo/Mathias Delacroix)

Rescue workers stand on the ruins of a building that collapsed during the earthquakes that struck La Guaira, Venezuela, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. Houses in the Caribe neighborhood are shown above. (AP Photo/Mathias Delacroix)

Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your favorite source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Read more

___

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos