Venezuelan authorities detain journalists near Caracas morgue after earthquake

Police officers surrounded an international television crew outside a Caracas morgue and ordered them to delete video clips. One officer identified himself as a member of SEBIN, Venezuela's state intelligence agency, and directed another officer to contact the military counterintelligence agency DGCIM.

The crew was released after showing their visas and footage, but the local producer advised the journalists to leave the country. The encounter took place the same day Acting President Delcy Rodríguez held a press conference inviting international media.

Earthquake response and access restrictions A rupture along the Caribbean and South American tectonic plates caused widespread damage across Venezuelan cities one week earlier. Residents reported using gardening tools and their hands to search rubble because heavy equipment had not arrived.

Local residents told the crew that police had threatened to jail people who did not follow official rescue protocols and that some officers had taken food and search materials. An emergency team from Germany and another from Spain were reportedly denied entry; a Chilean group that entered was later questioned on suspicion of espionage.

Background on governance and institutions Nicolás Maduro was removed from office in January 2026 and taken to the United States to face charges that include narco-terrorism. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez has since led the government. SEBIN and DGCIM have documented records of human rights violations.

A 2022 United Nations report stated the agencies carried out acts of torture amounting to crimes against humanity. Venezuela's healthcare system was already strained before the earthquake damaged or destroyed at least 38 hospitals.