Families of Venezuelans killed in quake after US deportation demand govt apology

CARACAS, Aug 25 - The families of Venezuelan deportees killed in recent earthquakes are demanding an apology from Venezuela's interim government. The 146 deportees, detained in La Guaira state prior to the tremors, were stripped of personal belongings and placed in a building controlled by intelligence agents. Oswadelis Nunez, whose son Daniel Alejandro Nunez Ramirez, 28, died in the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes, questioned why her son was there without his belongings.

Authorities allegedly blocked the detainees from leaving and failed to prepare an evacuation plan. Nunez called for moral compensation, an apology, and better deportation protocols. The government provided limited information about the deported group, which reportedly included 120 men, 19 women, and seven children. Luz Maris Melendez, whose son Angelo David Mejia Melendez also died, echoed the call for accountability, stating that the government "failed in its duty of care." The earthquakes, which killed around 6,500 people, struck on June 24.