Is Delcy Rodríguez’s regime hiding information? Suspicions of a lack of transparency surrounding the official death toll following the earthquakes in Venezuela

The gap between the casualty toll reported by the interim authorities and the grim estimates from international organizations has triggered a profound crisis of credibility in Venezuela.

The latest official report on Wednesday put the number of fatalities at 2,295 and the number of injured at over 11,000. However, the statistics from the administration led by the interim regime’s head, Delcy Rodríguez, completely omit a crucial piece of data: the number of people whose whereabouts are unknown.

This marked inconsistency in the information has set off alarm bells among various human rights organizations. Independent organizations have categorically denounced the official earthquake figures, stating that they raise more questions than they answer.

These doubts intensified after the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Venezuela, Gianluca Rampolla, noted that there are at least 2,500 severely damaged structures, most of which have collapsed entirely, leading him to predict that the actual death toll is significantly higher than the reported figure.

In fact, the international organization confirmed the procurement of 10,000 body bags in coordination with local authorities.

The Disturbing Toll at the Epicenter of the Disaster

The data provided by official spokespeople themselves reveal an inexplicable gap in the numbers. The president of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, explained that some 30,000 people were located in the hardest-hit areas of the coastal state of La Guaira, specifically in Caraballeda and Catia La Mar.

According to his statements, approximately between 13,400 and 13,500 citizens managed to evacuate on their own, while another 6,461 people were rescued by emergency response teams. The figures reveal a concerning discrepancy of nearly 10,000 individuals for which the official spokesperson offered no explanation.

For its part, the International Rescue Committee estimated that the total number of missing persons in the country could be close to 50,000, a projection that the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) described as “terrifyingly plausible.”

The agency’s Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher, noted that, while this group is not necessarily buried under the rubble, the prevailing uncertainty reflects the government’s operational failure.

Control of the Narrative and Restrictions on Press Freedom

According to analysts, the lack of transparency stems from a deliberate attempt to contain the political cost of the catastrophe on an administration that suffers from a severe deficit of popular legitimacy following the controversial 2024 elections.

Rafael Uzcátegui, director of the think tank Laboratorio de Paz, stated in an interview with CNN that Chavismo is resorting to information control to mitigate the impact and shield the executive branch amid internal vulnerability within the Armed Forces, which arose following the capture of Nicolás Maduro in January.

Uzcátegui also criticized the sectarianism in the administration, noting that the situation would be different if trained technical personnel had been called upon instead of retaining figures selected based on strict political loyalty.

Civil unrest has been exacerbated by looting scandals involving law enforcement officials themselves.

Residents of La Guaira captured on video police officers stealing belongings from disaster zones, which forced the agency to announce their arrest.

At the same time, there have been reports from journalists alleging that the Ministry of Communication intermittently restricted correspondents’ access and movement in the affected areas under the pretext of safeguarding public health, a move interpreted as a clear attempt to quell criticism and silence reports from the field.