CATIA LA MAR, Venezuela – Rescue operations in Venezuela continued Thursday as emergency crews searched through collapsed buildings for survivors following the powerful earthquakes that struck the country on June 24, even as hopes of finding additional survivors diminished. The Associated Press reported that the rescue of a security guard after nearly eight days beneath the rubble offered a rare moment of optimism amid a disaster that has claimed thousands of lives.
The dramatic rescue of 43-year-old Hernán Alberto Gil Flores drew celebrations from Venezuelan and international rescue teams after he was pulled alive from the basement of a collapsed shopping center in La Guaira state. Trapped in an air pocket beneath concrete debris, Gil Flores survived after rescuers established contact with him and supplied food and water through narrow openings during an operation that lasted more than 100 hours.
Elsewhere in the coastal city of Catia La Mar, however, recovery efforts increasingly shifted from searching for survivors to retrieving victims. According to the AP, emergency personnel carried body bags through devastated neighborhoods while rescue teams from multiple countries continued responding to reports of possible survivors, often finding no signs of life.
The government of acting President Delcy Rodríguez said at least 2,295 people have been killed and more than 11,000 injured by the earthquakes. Thousands of residents remain displaced, with many staying in temporary shelters or sleeping outdoors as medical professionals warn that overcrowding and untreated injuries could increase the risk of infectious disease outbreaks.
Government Rejects Criticism of Disaster Response
Rodríguez defended her administration’s handling of the emergency during a news conference with foreign journalists, rejecting allegations that authorities were slow to respond in the critical hours after the earthquakes.
She said emergency services were activated immediately following the disaster while acknowledging that survivors, relatives and neighbors were naturally the first people to begin rescue efforts at collapsed buildings.
Responding to reports that residents in La Guaira conducted searches with their bare hands during the first two days after the earthquakes, Rodríguez described those accounts as politically motivated and said the government had mobilized all available public, private, national and international resources.
Her remarks came one day before the scheduled expiration of her 180-day mandate as acting leader. The AP reported that it remains unclear how Venezuela’s political leadership will proceed after Friday, although the country’s constitution outlines procedures for temporary presidential vacancies and allows the National Assembly to extend interim appointments or call a new election under certain circumstances.
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Deportation Flight Survivor’s Family Seeks Answers
The disaster also affected Venezuelans who had recently been deported from the United States.
According to the AP, Daniel Alejandro Núñez Ramírez, 28, arrived in Venezuela on a deportation flight just hours before the earthquakes struck. His mother, Oswadeliz Nuñez, said he briefly called her after landing and told her he and other deportees had been transferred to a holding facility in La Guaira.
Approximately 30 minutes after their conversation ended, the earthquakes struck the region. Oswadeliz Nuñez later learned that her son had died when the building collapsed.
She questioned why her son had been housed in La Guaira instead of being allowed to return directly to his family in Caracas. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security told the AP that responsibility for the deportees was transferred to Venezuelan authorities after the flight landed.
U.S. Backs Relief Efforts
The AP reported that the United States has expanded its involvement in Venezuela following the removal of former President Nicolás Maduro earlier this year, backing Rodríguez’s administration and supporting disaster relief operations.
According to the report, the United States has committed more than $300 million in assistance and deployed approximately 900 military personnel to support rescue and humanitarian operations.
Rodríguez thanked U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio for their assistance, saying they remained engaged throughout the emergency.
John M. Barrett, the U.S. chargé d’affaires to Venezuela, said revenue from Venezuelan oil production administered under U.S. Treasury oversight is being directed toward reconstruction efforts, including shelter, sanitation, healthcare and energy generation projects. He added that the country’s oil and gas production had not been directly affected by the earthquakes and continues to increase.
Transparency Questions Remain
Laura Cristina Dib, Venezuela program director at the Washington Office on Latin America, said oversight of reconstruction funding will be essential to ensure assistance reaches those affected by the disaster.
She told the AP that questions remain about transparency in the management of the funds and stressed the importance of ensuring resources are used to support Venezuelans recovering from the earthquakes.
As rescue operations continue, authorities and humanitarian organizations remain focused on assisting displaced communities while recovery teams work across some of the country’s hardest-hit areas.
Tags: Venezuela, Earthquake, La Guaira, Catia La Mar, Delcy Rodríguez, Humanitarian Crisis, Disaster Response, United States, Search and Rescue, Relief Efforts, Americas, Reconstruction
