Venezuela’s Rodriguez says Rubio expresses “solidarity and support” in call after devastating quakes

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Caracas: Venezuelan acting President Delcy Rodriguez on Thursday said she held a telephonic conversation with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio following the catastrophic dual earthquakes that struck the South American nation.

Taking to her official X account, Rodriguez stated, “I spoke by phone with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who expressed his solidarity and support for the Venezuelan people during these difficult times for our nation.”

Expressing appreciation for the gesture from Washington, she added, “We appreciate this expression of solidarity with Venezuela during such a challenging period, marked by the impact of the natural disaster that has affected several regions of the country.”

Earlier on Thursday, Rubio had announced that the United States is “immediately deploying search and rescue teams, medical resources, and humanitarian assistance to Venezuela,” confirming that the mobilisation was ordered, “at the direction of President Trump.”

Reiterating Washington’s support for the disaster-hit country, Rubio stated, “The United States extends our deepest condolences to the people of Venezuela following the devastating earthquakes.”

“Our hearts are with all those who have lost loved ones, those injured, and the courageous rescue workers working tirelessly in the aftermath,” he added.

Providing details on the broader disaster that struck on Wednesday (local time), the Acting President took to X to appeal for calm. Warning that the death toll is expected to rise as rescue operations continue in the worst-hit areas, she emphasised that authorities had “a central and essential goal: to save lives”.

Speaking after an emergency meeting of the National Risk Management System (SNGR) and Civil Protection System, Rodriguez detailed that emergency authorities were entirely focused on searching for survivors trapped beneath collapsed buildings and homes.

“We have a central and essential objective: to save lives. Our work, as authorities of the national emergency system and the civil protection system, is to rescue those people who are trapped under buildings or homes that have collapsed,” Rodriguez said.

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The acting president revealed that the coastal state of La Guaira was hit hardest by the disaster, with dozens of buildings collapsing, effectively turning the region into a disaster zone.

“I must report that the state most affected by this unprecedented seismic phenomenon is La Guaira state. There are dozens of collapsed buildings, and we are currently in very arduous rescue efforts to save whatever lives God allows us to save,” she said, calling the destruction a “real tragedy. “We can say that La Guaira state is a true tragedy and has become a disaster zone. Our message of solidarity goes out to those families who have lost loved ones, and we reiterate our condolences and our support in these hard hours,” she added.

To bolster the ongoing local response, Venezuela is receiving extensive international assistance, with foreign rescue teams expected to arrive in the coming hours and days. Rodriguez expressed her gratitude to US President Donald Trump and his administration for maintaining direct communication and offering support.

“I want to thank President Donald Trump and his government, which has been in permanent contact with the Venezuelan government and all our authorities, providing support and solidarity. In the first few hours, we will be receiving rescuers,” Rodriguez said.

Beyond the United States, rescue brigades are also arriving from the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Mexico, and Qatar following direct conversations with their respective governments. Rodriguez added that offers of humanitarian aid had been received from China, while Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and several Caribbean nations have also pledged their support.

Elaborating on the casualty figures, Rodriguez explained, “At this time we have reports of 32 deaths, not yet counting the figures that La Guaira state may yield, and more than 700 injured who we have been receiving in emergency departments at both public hospitals and private health centres.”

In response to the emergency, the government has suspended classes and non-essential activities nationwide, while opening up hotels and shelters for residents whose homes were destroyed or severely damaged.

“I ask you to act in national unity, with calm, and to know that together we will overcome this tragedy. A tragedy that today brings mourning to many Venezuelan families, but Venezuela is also receiving the love of the peoples of the world,” Rodriguez said.

(ANI)

Also Read: At least 164 dead, 971 injured as quakes rock Venezuela

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