Venezuelans recover quake dead as criticism of aid response grows

Venezuelans in the quake-hit state of La Guaira are digging for relatives’ bodies with little equipment nearly two weeks after the twin earthquakes, while criticism of the official response keeps mounting. Residents told AP they had to recover remains by hand as rescue operations wound down and international teams prepared to leave. U.S. chargé d'affaires John Barrett said Tuesday that Venezuela’s interim government had been fully compliant with U.S. requests tied to the humanitarian response. Acting President Delcy Rodriguez has defended the government’s handling of the disaster and said security forces were deployed immediately, but civilians and humanitarian groups say aid was slow and ineffective in the crucial first days.