Rodriguez angrily defends Venezuela earthquake response

CATIA LA MAR, Venezuela (AP) — U.S.-backed Venezuelan acting President Delcy Rodriguez on Thursday issued a fiery defense of her government’s response to last week’s devastating earthquakes, slamming critics who say authorities’ response has been too slow, rejecting suggestions that the real death toll is much higher than the government has acknowledged and rejecting accusations that the country’s shoddily constructed social housing has worsened the disaster.

Rodriguez’s self-described socialist government, which is striving for legitimacy months after the United States ousted former President Nicolas Maduro from power in January, has been criticized for what residents described as a slow and haphazard response to the earthquakes.

Residents of the hardest-hit state of La Guaira complained that the initial absence of a serious government search and rescue operation left them on their own to search for neighbors and loved ones with their bare hands. Rescuers lamented the lack of specialized equipment in the country. Experts have warned that substandard construction of social housing projects – a signature policy of former President Hugo Chavez – has left neighborhoods vulnerable to earthquakes.

At a news conference for foreign journalists in the capital, Caracas, late Thursday, Rodriguez, who was wearing a black ribbon as a symbol of mourning, refused to accept the criticism.

She said, “We did not wait one, two, or three days. We activated it immediately,” and attacked the media, which she accused of spreading misleading information. “The politicization of a human tragedy like this – when the Venezuelan government and its authorities have spared no effort, whether at the public, private, national or international level – is shameful.”

Authorities counted at least 2,295 people killed by the quake as of Wednesday, a number that is expected to rise. It did not provide an updated death toll on Thursday, and maintained tight control over public communications and relief efforts.

A rare bright spot in the misery

The stench of decomposition wafted through the streets of ruined buildings, as rescue missions to find survivors of devastating earthquakes in Venezuela increasingly turned to recovering bodies.

Desperate for good news, Venezuelan and international emergency workers celebrated the near-miraculous rescue of a 43-year-old security guard, who was found alive after nearly eight days under the rubble — five days after the crucial 72-hour mark following the quake, when experts say it is most likely to find survivors.

National radio stations rebroadcast footage of the emotional moment he was pulled from the collapsed mall and lifted onto a stretcher to cheering crowds. Hernan Alberto Gil Flores, trapped in an air pocket under the concrete, survived on food and water that rescuers were able to pass through the cracks.

Elsewhere across La Guaira, there was an atmosphere of despair. The coastal city of Catia la Mar was crowded with officials carrying body bags and stacking wooden coffins.

More than 38,000 reports of missing people – many likely buried under rubble – were sent to a website set up by the Venezuelan opposition, as the government has not provided official figures on missing people.

When a journalist asked Rodriguez about the still unknown true toll of the disaster, citing reports that the United Nations was purchasing 10,000 body bags, Rodriguez defended the government’s tally.

“We don’t want speculation,” she added. “The numbers we provide are strictly verified.”

In La Guaira, earthquakes destroyed several of Chavez’s landmark social housing projects, raising suspicions of construction defects. Rodriguez denied the accusations, claiming on Thursday that about 80% of the collapsed buildings were developed by the private sector. No evidence was provided.

Rodriguez denies the government’s slow response

Responding to reports that residents were alone for the first 48 hours after the earthquakes, with heavy equipment and official aid scarce, Rodriguez acknowledged that “naturally, in the sites where the building collapsed, the first to arrive were the survivors of the collapse itself, relatives and neighbours.”

But she criticized what she called “narratives manufactured in propaganda laboratories” and claimed that the day after the earthquakes, “we had already mobilized the full capacity of the Venezuelan state in cooperation with the private sector.”

The debacle has developed into the biggest test of competence yet for Rodriguez, who served as Maduro’s deputy until his ouster and became interim leader with the support of the Trump administration.

Her comments Thursday came one day before the end of her 180-day extension as acting leader. It was not clear what would happen once Friday’s deadline passed.

Under the Venezuelan constitution, temporary absences – Rodriguez’s previous role – must be filled by the vice president for up to 90 days. The National Council can extend these temporary appointments for an additional 90 days. The National Assembly, controlled by Rodriguez’s party, could hold early elections if lawmakers declare the position permanently vacant.

American support for a government under fire

In contrast to the aftermath of the catastrophic landslides in Venezuela in 1999, when then-President Chavez rejected offers of aid from a hostile United States, Rodriguez publicly welcomed aid and rescue teams from governments across the political spectrum — including the Trump administration and its regional allies.

In expressing his thanks for the foreign assistance, Rodriguez singled out Israel, which has no diplomatic relations with Venezuela. She praised President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, saying they “continuously remained attentive and supportive.”

Washington has thrown its support behind Rodriguez in her bid to open up Venezuela’s lucrative energy industry, largely turning its back on opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado, who this week accused Rodriguez’s government of blocking her return to the country.

The United States pledged more than $300 million and deployed about 900 military personnel to support rescue operations. Furthermore, John M. Barrett, the US charge d’affaires to Venezuela, said the United States would make revenues from Venezuelan oil production, controlled by the US Treasury since Maduro’s takeover, available for relief efforts. Analysts say this promise makes the demand for more transparency in US management of Venezuelan oil sales more urgent.

“The Venezuelans really need this money to use it to protect Venezuelans,” said Laura Cristina Dibb, Venezuela program director at the independent human rights organization Washington Office for Latin America.

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Debre reported from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Associated Press journalists Ben Finley in Washington, Gabriela Aoun Anguera in San Diego, Gisela Salomon in Miami and Megan Janetsky in Mexico City contributed to this report.

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Corrects that the acting president’s deadline ends on Friday, not Thursday.

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