Frustration mounts in Venezuela over slow quake aid response

In El Junquito, about 33 km west of Caracas, the commercial center was largely destroyed and residents said the most basic help came from farmers and neighbors, not the state. Tony Abreu said he had been forced to sleep in a tent in an open field because his home and store were unsafe. Across Venezuela, frustration deepened over a response many people saw as uneven and too slow after the twin earthquakes.

The contrast was sharpest where equipment and people had arrived first. In parts of Caraballeda and Los Corales, heavy machinery was clearing debris and U.S. helicopters were ferrying rescue teams into a dusty landing zone, while other communities complained of scant official presence and delayed cleanup. More than 1,600 foreign rescuers had arrived by June 27, but hundreds of aftershocks kept the work dangerous and the search lines shifting.

The United Nations said Venezuelan authorities had confirmed at least 1,719 deaths, about 5,000 injuries and roughly 12,000 displaced people. It said around 2,500 structures were damaged and about 500 aftershocks had been recorded, with more than 2,000 rescue workers from 27 countries deployed across more than 40 teams. The UN and Venezuelan authorities also agreed to procure 10,000 body bags and open assistance centers in La Guaira.

One of the most devastating scenes unfolded near Maiquetia Airport, where a hotel used to process more than 140 people deported from the United States, including seven children, collapsed in the quakes and most were believed to have been killed. That loss added another layer of grievance to a disaster already exposing how quickly some lives are reached and how long others are made to wait.

The United States said on June 25 that it had activated a Disaster Assistance Response Team and two urban search-and-rescue teams and was mobilizing $150 million in assistance, including $50 million in bilateral awards and a $100 million contribution to the UN OCHA Venezuela pooled fund. World Vision, Samaritan's Purse, Catholic Relief Services, International Medical Corps, the International Organization for Migration and the World Food Programme also moved to support the response as the pressure on Venezuela’s authorities continued to build.