Rodeo I prisoners remained locked in during the two earthquakes

Inmates at the Rodeo I prison in Venezuela were confined to their cells during two powerful earthquakes that struck the region, separated by a mere 39 seconds. The seismic events caused significant fear and anxiety among the incarcerated population.

Prison authorities maintain that the cells were opened within 20 minutes of the earthquakes. However, this account is contested by relatives and some inmates who claim the wait for doors to be unlocked stretched to as long as an hour. This discrepancy in timing raises serious concerns about the emergency response protocols at the facility.

Yovanka Ávila, whose brother Henry Berríos is an inmate, recounted that the initial signs of the earthquake included flickering lights and phone alarms. She described the ground shaking violently, causing windows to rattle and structures to sway. From inside, Henry Berríos experienced the tremors with intense force, fearing the cell blocks might collapse. The inability to immediately exit due to locked doors led to desperate shouts for guards to open them.

According to Yovanka, the delay in opening the cells ranged from 40 to 45 minutes. Maciel Cordones, mother of another inmate, places the waiting time between 45 minutes and an hour. These testimonies directly contradict the 20-minute timeframe attributed to the prison administration. The article points out the journalistic imperative to distinguish between these conflicting accounts and to seek official records, such as guard logs and internal video footage, to resolve the contradiction.

The prolonged confinement has intensified the psychological impact on the inmates, with Henry Berríos describing the ongoing fear as feeling his cement bed move. For relatives like Maciel, the uncertainty and lack of complete answers about their loved ones' well-being prolongs their anguish. The conflicting reports highlight a significant gap between the official narrative and the lived experiences of those affected by the earthquakes within the prison.

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He thought the cell was going to fall, that the structure was going to fall.