The United Kingdom has taken a leading role in international criticism of the Venezuelan government’s response to the devastating earthquake that struck the country’s northern coast on Monday, as the confirmed death toll rose to 920 and rescue workers warned that the number could increase significantly. The quake, which measured 7.8 on the Richter scale, levelled entire neighbourhoods in the state of Vargas, leaving thousands homeless and triggering widespread reports of looting and civil unrest.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly issued a statement late on Wednesday, calling on President Nicolás Maduro’s administration to allow independent humanitarian access to the affected zones. “The British government stands ready to provide emergency assistance, but we cannot do so while the Venezuelan authorities continue to block international aid workers and deny the scale of this catastrophe,” Mr Cleverly said. “Our thoughts are with the victims and their families, but sympathy must be matched by action. The regime in Caracas must put aside political considerations and prioritise the saving of lives.”
His comments followed reports that Venezuelan security forces had prevented medical teams from the Red Cross and Médecins Sans Frontières from entering the worst-hit areas, citing “national sovereignty” concerns. Witnesses described scenes of desperation in the coastal town of La Guaira, where families were seen digging through rubble with their bare hands in search of survivors, and makeshift morgues overflowed with bodies covered in tarpaulins.
The disaster has exposed the fragility of Venezuela’s infrastructure, already crippled by years of economic mismanagement and international sanctions. Hospitals in the capital, Caracas, reported severe shortages of painkillers, antiseptics and surgical equipment, while power outages hampered rescue efforts in cities such as Maracaibo and Valencia. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said it had deployed a preliminary assessment team but had not yet been granted full access to the affected region.
International response has been swift but fragmented. The United States offered an initial $10 million in relief supplies, though President Joe Biden stressed that aid would be channelled through non-governmental organisations to avoid “legitimising an illegitimate regime”. China and Russia, traditional allies of the Maduro government, expressed condolences but stopped short of criticising Caracas’s handling of the crisis.
The European Union, in a statement coordinated by Brussels, echoed Britain’s call for unimpeded humanitarian access and announced an emergency aid package of €15 million. “The European Union stands with the Venezuelan people in their hour of need,” said EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell. “We call on all parties to ensure that aid reaches those who need it most, without delay.”
Meanwhile, the political fallout is likely to reverberate beyond Latin America. The earthquake has reignited debate over the effectiveness of Western sanctions, which critics argue have undermined Venezuela’s capacity to respond to natural disasters. Maduro, in a televised address, blamed the high death toll on what he called “imperialist aggression” and vowed to rebuild “with our own resources”.
For the families queuing for food and water on the rubble-strewn streets of La Guaira, such geopolitical calculations are abstract. “They tell us help is coming, but we see nothing,” said María Rojas, 52, who lost four relatives when her apartment block collapsed. “The world is watching, but no one is coming to save us.”
