Quake is devastating blow at time of uncertainty

A significant story is unfolding on the international scene. Earthquake is devastating blow to Venezuela at time of uncertainty Image source, /Gaby OraaImage caption, Relatives of people trapped in the rubble are anxiously waiting for newsByVanessa BuschschlüterLatin America online editorPublished20 minutes agoWith the number of people killed in the powerful twin quakes which struck Venezuela on Wednesday still rising, there is no doubt that this natural disaster is a devastating blow to a country already mired in uncertainty. It has been less than six months since Nicolás Maduro, the left-wing leader who had ruled the country since 2013, was seized by US forces in a dawn raid on his presidential compound in the capital, Caracas, and taken to New York to stand trial on drug-trafficking charges. Venezuela has since been governed by Maduro's ally and former vice-president, Delcy Rodríguez, much to the chagrin of opposition supporters who had hoped the Trump administration would put opposition leader María Corina Machado in charge.

Rodríguez's response to the quake has revealed some of the things which have - and have not - changed since the January raid, as well as the many challenges facing the country's battered infrastructure. Image source, Federico PARRA/ via Getty ImagesImage caption, The extent of the damage was becoming clearer as the sun roseRodríguez addressed the nation on state television channel VTV more than two hours after the quakes. Follow live updates Prior to that, official information had been very scant, no doubt due to the fact that communication channels to some of the worst affected areas were down.

The Details

But it is also a result of restrictions placed on independent media under the Maduro government, which have led to the closure of hundreds of mainly local radio stations and news sites, which in the past would have been key to providing localised updates. Rodríguez was flanked by her brother Jorge, who in his role as president of the National Assembly swore her into office as interim president just days after Maduro was seized, and by Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, another staunch Maduro ally. Unlike he so often did in the months leading up to the US military intervention, Cabello was not wearing military fatigues.

He stood silently next to Rodríguez, as did her brother. Rodríguez was visibly shaken as she delivered her speech, in which she called "first and foremost" for unity from the Venezuelan people, who for more than a decade have been deeply divided between those who supported Maduro, and his predecessor and mentor Hugo Chávez, and those who opposed him. She also declared a state of emergency and tasked General Juan Ernesto Sulbarán, the commander of Venezuela's National Guard, with leading the emergency response.

During the more than a quarter century that Chávez and Maduro were in power, key positions in the government have been held by high-ranking military officers.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.