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The ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel stated this Saturday that he has maintained "permanent contact with the Venezuelan authorities" and with the embassy in Caracas since the onset of the devastating earthquakes, to understand the situation of the Cubans there and "provide them with all possible assistance."
The message, posted on X, comes three days after the seismic tragedy of June 24, with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, the strongest recorded in Venezuela since 1900.
So far, the seismic movements have resulted in 1,430 fatalities and more than 3,360 injuries, although UN estimates suggest that there could be as many as 50,000 missing across the South American country.
Díaz-Canel's statement contrasts with the opacity that the regime itself maintains regarding the fate of its citizens. This Saturday, the Director General of Consular Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Relations (Minrex), Ana Teresita González Fraga, acknowledged that the government does not have confirmation of affected Cubans.
"So far, we do not have official confirmation of injured, deceased, or missing compatriots," stated González, who reported the activation of the phone line 7 8321484 so that family members in Cuba can report on the situation of their loved ones.
While the Minrex awaits official data, citizen platforms such as Encuéntralos and the media monitoring from elToque document more than 30 missing Cubans with names, ages, and last known locations, most of whom are concentrated in the state of La Guaira.
Among the missing are two Cuban children, Vanessa and Dayan Martínez, originally from Melena del Sur, Mayabeque, who lived with their father—a Cuban doctor who remained in Venezuela after a mission—at the Coral Beach building in Los Corales, La Guaira.
A Cuban family of at least six members is also missing, including Alain Rodríguez Rojas and Teresa Rojas Rodríguez, in the Oasis Beach and Resjurel buildings in La Guaira.
At the same time, the Cuban medical brigade in Venezuela, consisting of approximately 12,930 collaborators distributed across the 24 states of the country, immediately mobilized to the Comprehensive Diagnostic Centers in La Guaira state.
The head of the brigade, doctor Yusleivy Martínez Carmona, confirmed that all the volunteers were in "optimal health" and that they themselves requested to join the assistance efforts.
"The same cooperators began to ask us to integrate into health functions," he indicated.
This Saturday, a magnitude 4.9 aftershock once again rattled Venezuela, complicating the rescue efforts involving 25 teams from 17 countries.
Meanwhile, Abel Prieto, president of Casa de las Américas and government advisor, posted an image of U.S. Marines while questioning their humanitarian intentions by referring to them as "humanitarian Rambos".
The UN estimates that the double earthquake on June 24 affected up to 6.76 million people across the country, and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) calculated a 42% probability of between 10,000 and 100,000 potential fatalities in total.
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