Interim President Delcy Rodríguez defended the Venezuelan government's response to a devastating earthquake in the coastal state of La Guaira on Thursday.
The response is under scrutiny as rescue operations continue in the declared disaster zone. The government's ability to manage the crisis is being questioned amid reports of early-hour chaos and conflicting casualty figures.
During a press conference on July 2, Rodríguez addressed accusations of governmental inaction. She said the difficulties during the initial response were due to what she called “laboratorios mediáticos” or media labs [1]. Rodríguez allowed five questions during the session [4].
Casualty reports vary significantly across sources. One official report indicates 2,645 fatalities [1], while another official figure lists 2,595 deaths [2]. Earlier reports from La Hora cited a lower figure of 920 fatalities [3].
Rescue teams remain active in La Guaira, focusing on the assistance of survivors and the recovery of bodies. Rodríguez said that the problems of the initial response were due to the media labs [1].
The interim president's defense comes as the state continues to struggle with the scale of the destruction. The government maintains that it is prioritizing the recovery of all victims to bring closure to the affected families.
““Los problemas de la respuesta inicial se deben a los ‘laboratorios mediáticos’.””
The disparity in death toll reporting—ranging from 920 to over 2,600—suggests a significant breakdown in data synchronization or transparency during the emergency. By attributing the perceived failure of the initial response to 'media labs,' the Venezuelan administration is attempting to shift the narrative from operational incompetence to a targeted disinformation campaign, a common rhetorical strategy during domestic crises.
