Venezuela earthquake: 164 dead, opposition calls for direct aid

Two powerful earthquakes struck central Venezuela on June 24, causing widespread destruction and at least 164 deaths. The government, led by acting President Delcy Rodríguez, declared a state of emergency and mobilized public health services Source: elnacionalve. Opposition leader Edmundo González Urrutia criticized the state's response, saying that "rescue teams, health system and communications infrastructure" arrived "destroyed" and called for "international humanitarian aid" to reach victims "without intermediaries" Source: infobae. González insisted that Venezuela lacks the capacity to respond and that "its own State has abandoned it" Source: infobae. The quakes, magnitudes 7.5 and 7.2, occurred 39 seconds apart, forming a "seismic doublet" Source: infobae. Government officials reported 164 dead and 971 injured, with damage in Caracas and states of Miranda, La Guaira, Falcón, and Carabobo Source: elnacionalve. González disputed the official figures, stating there are "no reliable casualty numbers" Source: infobae. The opposition also called on the international community to bypass government control when delivering aid.