Venezuela President Calls Denial of Security Aid 'Miserable' After Deadly Quakes

Acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez has vehemently criticized what she termed "miserable" and "soulless" denials of public security force deployment to aid earthquake victims. The country has been grappling with the aftermath of two powerful earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude, which struck the northern region on June 24.

Rodríguez addressed international media, dismissing claims of denied access or aid as politically motivated fabrications. "To say that someone was denied access, help, that someone says there is none, no, that does not exist," she stated, emphasizing that the Venezuelan state mobilized immediately. She asserted that Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello was among the first to speak publicly, and security forces were deployed "immediately" following the disaster.

"Immediately the Venezuelan State activated itself in its entirety. The first thing we did a few hours after its occurrence was to issue a decree to address this emergency situation, the civil protection system, the public defense system was immediately deployed," Rodríguez assured.

The seismic events have resulted in a tragic toll, with at least 2,595 deaths and 12,400 injuries reported. The northern coastal region of La Guaira, which experienced a devastating landslide in 1999 that claimed thousands of lives, has been the most severely impacted. This double earthquake marks the deadliest in Venezuela in the last century, surpassing the July 1967 Caracas earthquake that killed 245 people.