Rodríguez defends Venezuela’s earthquake response as death toll passes 3,000

Puerto Viejo beach, Catia La Mar, La Guaira state, Venezuela. The twin earthquakes, which killed more than 3,000 people, hit hardest in the coastal La Guaira area. Photograph: Martin Bernetti/AFP/Getty Images

Venezuela’s interim president has defended her country’s emergency response to the twin earthquakes that have killed more than 3,000 people, vowing the country would not descend into social unrest.

Many Venezuelans have expressed anger at what they see as the US-backed government’s inadequate response to the 24 June disaster before international teams arrived.