Venezuela leader vows ‘no social unrest here’ after quakes

Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodriguez addresses the media following the June 24 earthquakes that struck the country, in Caracas, Venezuela, July 2, 2026. (Reuters)

• One of Latin America's worst earthquake disasters killed nearly 3,000 and left thousands missing

CARACAS: Venezuela’s interim president said Sunday the country would not descend into social unrest after the twin earthquakes which killed nearly 3,000 and left thousands more missing.
One of Latin America’s worst earthquake disasters, the June 24 shocks collapsed scores of buildings, leaving thousands homeless, especially in the coastal La Guaira area north of the capital Caracas.
“There will be no social unrest here, what we have here is deep social solidarity,” Delcy Rodriguez said during a military ceremony marking the country’s independence day.
Many Venezuelans have expressed anger at what they see as the US-backed government’s inadequate response to the disaster before international teams arrived.
Rodriguez has defended the response, saying thousands of public officials and rescue teams were dispatched to help dig out victims and find survivors.
Eleven days after the double shocks, international rescue teams are wrapping up operations to find more survivors while families are still trying to dig out bodies of loved ones from the wreckage.