Delcy Rodriguez Faces Boos as Venezuelans Demand Help After 7.2 and 7.5 Quakes

Venezuelans in Caracas and the state of La Guaira erupted in boos and shouts during an interim visit by Delcy Rodriguez to a Caracas neighborhood pulverized by two massive earthquakes.

The unrest followed tremors of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 that killed 1,430 people and left more than 50,000 missing, with residents saying, "The government isn't doing anything for the people," and demanding, "Get out! Get out!"

AlbertoNews

In the absence of official support, people in Caracas and La Guaira resorted to using their hands to dig through debris, while the search in La Guaira included efforts to rescue nine-year-old Dana after she had spent more than 18 hours trapped under rubble.

AFP reported that those digging for Dana listened to her cries alongside her mother’s sobbing, and 48-year-old neighbor Dani Rizo told AFP, "Since last night we've been trying to get the little girl out and you can hear her voice there," before saying, "She's dead," hours later.

DW said the death toll rose to 1,430 and that more than 51,000 people were reported missing, as it also cited UN estimates that up to 6.76 million people could be affected.

As residents demanded faster deployment of rescue teams and heavy machinery, AFP quoted Antonio Bermudez, 45, saying, "However, we don't have tools. We have no way to help."

Al Jazeera-style accounts of the same crisis were echoed by France 24’s AFP report, where residents described digging with generators, metal grinders and backhoes while calling for more support to remove concrete blocks.

CiberCuba

France 24 also relayed that Rodriguez thanked hundreds of international volunteers already on the ground and announced a military deployment to La Guaira, while AFP journalists observed few soldiers on the streets as of Saturday.

In parallel, El Nacional described citizens rejecting restrictions imposed by Delcy Rodríguez on access to La Guaira, saying the tragedy’s critical hours saw spontaneous help from hundreds of citizens amid an "evident absence of government aid."

El Nacional further said Delcy Rodríguez announced a mandatory registry for volunteers at the Poliedro de Caracas with a credential that would include a QR code, while Interior and Justice Minister Diosdado Cabello reaffirmed access would be restricted from 8:00 p.m. on June 26.

Venezuelan authorities said access to La Guaira would be restricted starting at 8:00 p.m. this Friday, with Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello explaining that anyone wanting to go to the state must comply with a registry set up in Caracas to prevent people without assigned tasks from traveling.

“Cabello announced the restriction of access to La Guaira starting at 8:00 p”

CiberCuba

La Prensa Gráfica reported that the government said about 100 buildings collapsed in La Guaira and that more than 100 heavy-machinery teams remained mobilized, while it also cited figures of at least 920 dead and 3,360 injured 48 hours after the earthquakes.

In the same reporting stream, LaIguana TV said Rodriguez updated that 60 percent of the electric service had been restored and that the absolute priority was rescuing people still alive, while she confirmed the restriction of access to the area militarized with more than 14,000 officers.

DW added that the UN said some 6.8 million people had been affected and that more than 1,600 foreign rescuers were helping search for quake survivors, as it also described the UN’s call for a bigger response from the international community.

CiberCuba reported Cabello warned of a public health risk from corpses decomposing beneath the rubble and quoted him saying, "That has to be addressed," as it also stated the restriction required registration at the Caracas Poliedro.