rescue operation

Venezuela’s U.S.-backed acting President, Delcy Rodríguez, has strongly defended her government’s response to the devastating earthquakes that struck the country last week, as rescue teams celebrated the extraordinary survival of a security guard pulled alive from rubble after eight days.

The twin earthquakes have claimed at least 2,595 lives, according to official figures, making the disaster one of the deadliest in Venezuela’s recent history. Thousands remain missing, while search and recovery operations continue across the hardest-hit regions.

Speaking during a press conference in Caracas, Rodríguez rejected criticism that authorities were slow to respond to the catastrophe. She insisted that emergency measures were activated immediately following the earthquakes and accused critics and sections of the media of politicizing a humanitarian tragedy.

“We activated immediately,” Rodríguez said, defending the government’s actions and highlighting cooperation between public agencies, private organizations, and international rescue teams.

The acting president’s administration has faced mounting scrutiny from residents and aid workers who claim that emergency assistance was delayed in the critical hours following the earthquakes. Survivors in the heavily affected state of La Guaira reported relying on neighbors and volunteers to search for trapped victims before large-scale rescue efforts arrived.

Questions have also been raised about the structural quality of some residential developments, with experts suggesting that poorly constructed housing may have worsened the destruction caused by the quakes.

Amid the criticism, the nation received a rare moment of hope when rescue crews successfully pulled 43-year-old security guard Hernán Alberto Gil Flores from the rubble of a collapsed shopping complex in Catia La Mar.

Gil Flores survived nearly eight days trapped beneath concrete debris, far beyond the commonly cited 72-hour window during which earthquake survivors are most likely to be found alive. Rescue workers said he endured the ordeal inside an air pocket and survived with food and water passed to him through narrow openings in the rubble.

Footage of the dramatic rescue quickly spread across national media, showing emergency personnel carrying Gil Flores to safety as crowds and rescuers from multiple countries celebrated the remarkable achievement.

Despite the successful rescue, conditions across La Guaira remain grim. Recovery teams continue searching collapsed buildings while dealing with growing numbers of fatalities. Reports indicate that body recovery operations have intensified as hopes of finding additional survivors diminish.

Rodríguez also defended the government’s official death toll, dismissing claims that the true number of victims could be significantly higher. She stated that all casualty figures released by authorities are carefully verified and warned against speculation regarding the scale of the disaster.

The earthquake crisis has become the biggest challenge yet for Rodríguez’s interim administration following the removal of former President Nicolás Maduro earlier this year. As rescue and relief efforts continue, the government is working alongside international partners from across the globe to provide aid and support to affected communities.

Rodríguez expressed gratitude to foreign governments and rescue teams assisting in the operation, including support from the United States. The U.S. government has reportedly committed more than $300 million in aid and deployed hundreds of personnel to assist with rescue and humanitarian efforts.

As Venezuela continues to grapple with the aftermath of the deadly earthquakes, the rescue of Gil Flores stands as a symbol of hope amid a national tragedy that has left thousands of families searching for answers and loved ones.