The death toll from Venezuela’s devastating twin earthquakes has risen to 2,645, with more than 12,600 injured, according to new officia figures released on Friday.

Thousands more are reported still missing after the June 24 shocks that toppled dozens of apartment complexes, mostly in the coastal La Guaira area north of the capital Caracas.

Venezuela’s Interim President Delcy Rodriguez has rejected allegations that her government reacted too slowly to destruction caused by the two earthquakes, after days of widespread criticism of the official response.

Civilians of all stripes — including survivors, family members, volunteer paramedics and foreign rescue teams — have descended on disaster areas since the 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude quakes struck.

Many of those digging through the rubble, along with international aid organizations, say the government’s response was slow and ineffectual, with aid like food and medical supplies delayed and an ongoing lack of heavy machinery to move debris amid ongoing search operations.

“It was a natural tragedy on a scale we never imagined, even though we knew that a seismic event could occur in our country,” Rodriguez said Thursday in her first press conference since taking power in January, after the US ousted her predecessor Nicolas Maduro. “We did not wait one, two or three days. We acted immediately.”

Four thousand officials were deployed immediately, she said, rising to 14,000 the day after and then again to a current figure of 19,000. She also issued an emergency decree to activate emergency protocols, she told journalists.

“We’ve done everything in our power, and we’ll continue to do everything in our power and more,” she said, adding that she had visited children in hospitals who had lost limbs and were mourning loved ones.

“I’ve had to go through some very painful experiences,” Rodriguez said.

Civilian-led response

State television has regularly shown Rodriguez meeting with military and security officials while soldiers and police have patrolled major roads in La Guaira and sometimes directed traffic.

Still, the response to the disaster has been led by civilians, many of them volunteers, according to........

© The Times of Israel