Venezuela quake: deportee families demand apology

Relatives of Venezuelans deported from the United States who died in the June earthquakes demanded an apology Monday from Venezuela's interim government, saying authorities failed in their duty of care.

The 146 deportees were detained in La Guaira state hours before magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 tremors struck the coastal region on June 24. They were placed in an old building controlled by intelligence agents after their return to Venezuela.

Oswadelis Nunez, whose son Daniel Alejandro Nunez Ramirez died, questioned why the deportees were detained and said families wanted “moral compensation” and an apology. She said affected families intended to file domestic and international complaints.

Nunez alleged that authorities blocked detainees from leaving the building when the quakes hit and had not prepared an evacuation plan. She also called for better deportation protocols and clearer information about how many people were returned, how many survived and how many died.

A government Instagram post said the detained group included 120 men, 19 women and seven children.

Luz Maris Melendez, whose son Angelo David Mejia Melendez also died, said the government “failed in its duty of care” and should be held accountable.

June's twin quakes killed some 6,500 people.