Venezuela earthquakes draw aid from governments that cut ties with Caracas

Venezuela has received offers of rescue teams and humanitarian aid from across the Americas, including from right-wing governments that had broken off diplomatic relations with Caracas less than two years ago, after deadly twin earthquakes.

Interim President Delcy Rodriguez declared a nationwide state of emergency and named the coastal state of La Guaira a disaster zone. By Thursday evening, the death toll had risen to at least 235, with more than 4,300 injured, while many were believed to be trapped under rubble.

Those international relations had been cut in the aftermath of Venezuela’s July 2024 presidential election, whose official result, which handed Nicolas Maduro a third term, was rejected by much of Latin America.

Caracas withdrew its diplomats from Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, the Dominican Republic, and Uruguay in a single day. Paraguay broke off relations weeks later after President Santiago Pena backed the Venezuelan opposition, and Ecuador and El Salvador already had no ties with Caracas.