Rescue teams in Venezuela cling to hope as president defends response

Article excerpt

Rescuers are continuing to dig through rubble in a search for survivors across Venezuela even as the hope of finding anyone alive eight days after two huge earthquakes struck the country become increasingly slim. Meanwhile, Venezuela's Interim President Delcy Rodriguez rejected allegations that her government reacted too slowly to the disaster, which has killed more than 2,000 people, after days of widespread criticism of the official response.