Venezuelan opposition found a voice amid the chaos. María Corina Machado, opposition leader and newly minted 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, spoke for the first time after the two earthquakes that shook Venezuela on Wednesday, leaving a provisional toll of 164 dead and over 900 injured. In a message posted on her social media, the leader not only expressed solidarity with the victims but also thanked international support, with a special nod to Argentine President Javier Milei.
“To the thousands of Venezuelans who at this hour are on the streets of Caracas, Vargas, Aragua, Carabobo, Yaracuy, Lara, and more states of our country, forced to leave everything behind due to the collapse or structural damage of their homes: we send you all our strength, faith, and prayers,” Machado wrote early Thursday. The statement comes at a time of maximum tension, with aftershocks still shaking the territory and a population sleeping outdoors.
The earthquakes, of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5, sparked panic along the northern coastal strip. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez declared a state of emergency, while rescue teams search for survivors among the rubble. “We share the pain of those living through the terrible anguish of having missing loved ones. We make an urgent call for solidarity and mobilization of all Venezuelans, inside and outside our borders, and of the international community,” Machado added.
But the message had a special recipient: Javier Milei. “President Milei, thank you for standing with the millions of Venezuelans going through hours of immense anguish. Every show of solidarity strengthens efforts to assist our people and save lives. We count on the urgent help of the Argentine people,” the opposition leader wrote, in response to the official statement from the Argentine government.
From the Casa Rosada, the Office of the President issued a statement expressing “its deepest solidarity with the Venezuelan people” and offered to collaborate with humanitarian assistance, “beyond any differences that may exist between governments.” Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno also joined the condolences: “The Argentine Republic deeply regrets the consequences of the seismic events recorded today, June 24, in Venezuela and expresses its solidarity with the Venezuelan people in this difficult time.”
Machado did not forget other leaders who showed solidarity: Chile’s José Antonio Kast, Costa Rica’s Laura Fernández Delgado, El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele, and Bogotá Mayor Carlos Galán. All received public thanks. “We ask you to stay very tuned to our social media to know how to channel support effectively. The emergency is critical, the pain is infinite; every hour counts,” she stated.
Meanwhile, on the streets of Caracas and other cities, chaos reigns. Hospitals are collapsing, aftershocks continue, and international aid is beginning to arrive. The question hanging in the air is whether the Rodríguez regime will allow assistance without political obstacles. For now, Machado has set the tone: solidarity without conditions.
che q triste pero para mi milei y machado son unos vendepatrias los yankis mueven sus fichas y el pueblo sufre delcy rodriguez es la misma derecha disfrazada los imperialistas siempre ganan argentina venezuela unidas contra el fmi
Para mí, Machado pide ayuda pero estos zurdos de mierda siempre lloran. Milei un capo total, el único que entiende. Venezuela país socialista la cagaron y ahora pagan. Que se jodan los chorros del chavismo.