13,400 People Rescued Themselves — Because Venezuela's Government Never Came

Six days after the earthquakes, a government excavator sat motionless next to a pile of concrete in La Guaira. The operator said there was no gasoline. Venezuela has the world's largest reported oil reserves. In the first 48 hours, firefighters arrived without fuel. Civil defense workers used cellphone flashlights. A German medical team was denied entry at the border. A Chilean rescue team was stopped mid-dig to check their documentation. Officials took selfies at collapse sites. Four were arrested for looting the rubble. 13,400 people in Caraballeda rescued themselves. And Deivis Ramos spent days digging by hand through the building where his seven-year-old and two-year-old daughters were buried, saying that tears won't move a single stone. The uniforms stayed spotless. This video is about what happened when Venezuela's government met the worst earthquake in a century.