6月24日，两场强震袭击了委内瑞拉，特别是首都加拉加斯附近的拉瓜伊拉市受灾最为严重。在全国范围内，超过59000栋建筑物严重受损或完全倒塌。截至7月1日，确认的死亡人数已达到2295人，另有11267人受伤，联合国正在采购10000个尸体袋，以应对预计还会上升的死亡人数。公众对政府疏忽和腐败的救援反应感到日益愤怒，因为拉瓜伊拉的当地居民在地震发生后的最初48小时内只能赤手空拳营救幸存者，没有得到任何国家援助。与此同时，军人袖手旁观，甚至有警察被抓到在废墟中偷窃美元。
这场灾难暴露了委内瑞拉基础设施的严重脆弱性，这些设施在昔日社会主义总统乌戈·查韦斯和尼古拉斯·马杜罗数十年来的系统性腐败下早已破败不堪。在1月3日马杜罗被美国特种部队抓获后，临时总统德尔西·罗德里格斯在特朗普政府的支持下执掌政权，美国为此放宽了经济制裁并鼓励外资。此次地震造成的损失和破坏预计在75亿至90亿美元之间，相当于委内瑞拉国内生产总值（GDP）的近8.5%。作为回应，美国部署了“福特劳德代尔堡”号战舰，派遣了900名军事人员协助救援，并修复了加拉加斯国际机场受损的跑道。
然而，这场悲剧很可能会推迟委内瑞拉向民主的过渡。尽管美国的战略概述了三个阶段——稳定、复苏和民主过渡，但地震为这个不受欢迎的临时政权无限期推迟选举提供了一个便利的借口。特朗普政府对政治过渡也表现出犹豫，通过要求其航班折返，阻挠了委内瑞拉深受欢迎的反对派领袖及诺贝尔和平奖得主玛丽亚·科里纳·马查多回国。结果，尽管公众的敌意和公民的怨恨日益增加，德尔西·罗德里格斯获得美国支持的临时政府依然维持着权力。
On June 24th, two powerful earthquakes devastated Venezuela, particularly impacting the municipality of La Guaira near the capital, Caracas. Across the country, more than 59,000 buildings have been badly damaged or collapsed. By July 1st, the confirmed death toll reached 2,295 with 11,267 people injured, and the UN is procuring 10,000 body bags in anticipation of a rising toll. Public anger is mounting against the government’s negligent and corrupt response, as local residents in La Guaira were left to rescue survivors with their bare hands for the first 48 hours without state assistance. Meanwhile, military personnel stood by, and police officers were caught stealing money from ruined buildings.
The disaster has exposed the deep vulnerabilities of Venezuela’s infrastructure, which was run down by decades of systemic corruption under former socialist presidents Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro. Following Maduro's capture by US commandos on January 3rd, interim President Delcy Rodríguez assumed power with backing from the Trump administration, which has eased economic sanctions and encouraged foreign investment. The earthquakes have caused damages estimated between $7.5 billion and $9 billion, representing roughly 8.5% of Venezuela’s GDP. In response, the United States deployed the warship USS Fort Lauderdale, dispatched 900 military personnel to assist in rescues, and repaired a damaged runway at Caracas's international airport.
However, the tragedy is likely to delay Venezuela's transition to democracy. While the United States' strategy outlines three stages—stabilization, recovery, and democratic transition—the earthquakes provide the unpopular interim regime with a convenient excuse to postpone elections indefinitely. The Trump administration has also shown hesitation toward political transition, blockading Venezuela's popular opposition leader and Nobel peace-prize laureate, María Corina Machado, from returning to the country by requesting her flight to turn back. As a result, Delcy Rodríguez's American-backed interim government remains in power, despite growing public hostility and visible resentment from citizens.
Source: Venezuelans are furious with the American-backed regime
Subtitle: But the earthquakes could give it an excuse to keep putting off elections
Dateline: Jul 02, 2026 06:23 AM | Caracas