June 30, 2026
Some areas in Venezuela devastated by twin earthquakes last Wednesday have yet to receive government aid to help with rescue and recovery efforts, residents in some hard-hit towns said on Monday.
In El Junquito, a small mountainous region about 33 km (20 miles) west of Caracas where Venezuelans often vacation on weekends, residents say they have seen few public officials, while farmers and other residents have been providing basic supplies to the community.
"We are waiting for answers, for debris to be cleaned up, for inspections, for people who have been really affected to be helped," said Keily Ibarra, a 33-year-old manicurist leading citizen complaints to authorities. She called on the government to do "what needs to be done."
El Junquito's commercial centre was largely destroyed by the quakes, with collapsed buildings visible during a Reuters visit. Several residents with nowhere else to go have set up tents in an open field, despite the risk posed by damaged and collapsed buildings nearby.
