Delcy Rodríguez Opens Diplomatic Channels After Deadly June Earthquakes in Venezuela

Magnitude‑7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes struck Venezuela on 24 June, killing more than 4,300 people, injuring over 16,700 and leaving about 17,900 homeless across 89 temporary camps in Caracas, Miranda and La Guaira.

Interim president Delcy Rodríguez declared a state of emergency, deployed rescue teams and later welcomed aid crews from the United States, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, El Salvador, Israel, Canada and other nations. She has also partially unblocked the social‑media platform X for private operators, allowed international journalists entry and begun a pragmatic diplomatic outreach, which analysts say is aimed at gaining legitimacy and easing U.S. pressure. One analyst noted, “All decisions that Delcy Rodríguez is taking now have a single recipient, the government of the United States.”

The government announced a biometric census of displaced persons using fingerprint readers to register households in the camps and created a fund to help neighborhood committees repair buildings. It also plans an “aggressive and rapid” construction programme for anti‑seismic prefabricated homes, supported by the United Nations and in talks with the United States, Brazil, the IMF and the World Bank.