Venezuela marked its 215th Independence Day on July 5 amid ongoing grief from twin earthquakes that struck the country on June 24. The earthquakes, registering magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, caused widespread destruction, particularly in the coastal La Guaira area north of Caracas, collapsing numerous buildings and leaving thousands homeless.
During a military ceremony commemorating the national holiday, interim President Delcy Rodriguez asserted, “There will be no social unrest here, what we have here is deep social solidarity.”
Official figures released by Venezuela’s Ministry of Communication and Information reported 3,342 deaths and over 16,700 injuries resulting from the earthquakes, with expectations that the toll may rise further. Despite public anger over what many perceive as an inadequate government response prior to the arrival of international aid teams, Rodriguez defended her administration’s actions, stating that thousands of public officials and rescue teams were deployed to assist victims and search for survivors.
Rodriguez, who became acting president in January after serving as vice president under Nicolas Maduro, has faced backlash since the disaster. She has also blamed “propaganda” for criticism of the quake response. Meanwhile, her main political rival, exiled Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado, has issued her own appeals regarding the crisis.
The earthquakes have severely impacted Venezuela’s economy and infrastructure, reducing tourist towns to rubble and prompting volunteers to continue searching for survivors.
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