Rescue teams in Venezuela cling to hope as US rebuffs criticisms of government earthquake response

CATIA LA MAR, Venezuela (AP) — Black smoke from fires in flattened buildings and the smell of decomposing bodies spread across ruins Thursday, eight days after Venezuela’s devastating earthquakes, while rescue teams pulled on a thread of hope that they might still find survivors trapped beneath the rubble.

As officials carried body bags and stacked caskets in the port city of Catia La Mar, joy briefly broke through the pervading misery that has blanketed Venezuela’s northern La Guaira on Thursday morning when rescue teams pulled a 43-year-old man out of the rubble he was buried under for nearly eight days.

Rescuers from across the Americas had worked for about 100 hours to pull Hernán Alberto Gil Flores from the collapsed shopping mall under which he was buried. Trapped in an air pocket, he’d survived on the water and sustenance rescuers passed him through the rubble. He was pulled out of the ruins on a stretcher and was carried to an ambulance as throngs of people cheered in a rare moment of victory.

Thousands more did not make it that far.

Venezuela’s government said as of Wednesday that at least 2,295 were killed and more than 11,000 were wounded. Thousands more were sleeping in crowded shelters or outside, or remained missing as family members searched the rubble. The aftermath has left medics worried that the fallout could pave the way for a widening medical crisis of untreated injuries and infectious diseases in a healthcare system already on the brink.

U.S. support of a government under fire

Acting President Delcy Rodríguez continued to face mounting criticisms by Venezuelans over the government’s inadequate handling of the earthquakes — civilian and international rescue efforts have far overshadowed the Venezuelan government response.

The criticism came just a day before the extension of Rodríguez’s 180-day mandate as acting leader was set to expire. Rodríguez served as deputy to former President Nicolás Maduro until he was ousted by the United States in January and she became interim leader with the backing of the Trump administration.

With little transparency by Venezuelan officials, it was unclear what would happen once the deadline passes Thursday.

Under Venezuela’s constitution, temporary absences are to be filled by the vice president — which was Rodríguez’s former role — for up to 90 days. These interim appointments can be extended by the national assembly for an additional 90 days.

The Venezuelan leader has strong support from lawmakers and the Trump administration. The National Assembly, controlled by Rodríguez’s party, can trigger a snap election if lawmakers declare the post permanently vacant.

The U.S. continued to throw support behind her government Wednesday in the face of criticism, and officials said there were 900 military personnel currently on the ground to support relief and rescue operations.

John M. Barrett, the U.S. chargé d’affaires to Venezuela, pushed back against accusations that Rodríguez was politicizing response efforts.

During a call with reporters, Barrett said the U.S. response “does require a high level of coordination with local authorities to be successful.”

“And what I can say with confidence is that the local authorities have fully complied with our requests and have accelerated this massive humanitarian response,” Barrett said.

Gen. Francis Donovan, head of U.S. Southern Command, added during the call that “decades of poor investment in the people of Venezuela” had “made this even more challenging for the current government.”

“It is a big problem for any leader to deal with a challenge of this magnitude,” Donovan said.

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Janetsky reported from Mexico City. Associated Press journalist Ben Finley contributed to this report from Washington D.C.