Two powerful earthquakes in Venezuela

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0:42Hello and welcome to NewsHour. It's coming to you live from the BBC World Service studios in central London. I'm Tim Franks. And we're beginning, indeed, we're going to spend a fair bit of the programme with the huge earthquakes which have rocked northern Venezuela. So far, 164 people are confirmed dead and almost 1 ,000 injured. But the grim history of big quakes such as these is that those casualty figures are pretty much certain to rise, and to rise very sharply. Experts are warning it could go into the thousands. And another predictable and terrifying aspect of earthquakes like these is that sense, while they're happening, that you're disorientated and terrified, and that you just can't escape that terror.

1:27which you get a measure of here.

1:37That footage was recorded by the BBC's Vanessa Silva inside her apartment in Caracas as the first earthquake struck. That was a 7.2 magnitude. It was followed by an even stronger 7.5 magnitude one. A few hours later, Vanessa sent us this report. you can hear the sound of shattered glass being swept up in the background. At this moment, I'm in the north of the city, in the neighbourhood of San Bernardino. Here, one building collapses, a building of about five flats. We can see many corps of security working, removing the part of the structure that fell down in this building, looking for survivors.

2:22and we are trying to confirm is one person died here in this neighborhood. The Minister of Interior just said that they are evaluating the damages along the north coast of the country and there are reports of many damages in different states of Venezuela but still going on about how many victims this earthquake had here. That was Vanessa Silva reporting for us from northern Caracas. We'll hear more about the rescue efforts, national and international, later in the programme. There are also, though, the heart-rending individual searches. Joffram! The voice of a father searching for his son, Jose Alberto Gallipoli, shouting that name, Joffram.

3:17And then a little later, that same father sounding utterly defeated.

3:27That is all that's left of the building where my son lived, he says, as he surveys a tangle of rubble and a crushed truck that belonged to Joffram. As for the authorities, well, the acting president, Delce Rodriguez, addressed the nation and declared a state of emergency. This is an event with serious consequences that has particularly affected several states. At this moment of great sensitivity for our population and for those who unfortunately have suffered the loss of a family member, we extend our immediate condolences. We are now declaring a state of emergency as provided for in our constitution.

4:07In national unity, we will overcome this situation. And once again, on behalf of Venezuela, I thank those who immediately contacted us to express their solidarity and support. Thank you very much. North of Karaka's right on the coast is the city of La Guaira, and it felt the quakes even more intensely than the capital. Kelvin Padilla lives there with his partner and his dog. He told me how life was turned upside down early yesterday evening. Yesterday at 6.05pm, I was on my phone in the living room in my house. Everything started shaking, a little bit soft. So I was thinking, well, maybe it's nothing really big.

4:53And I stayed calm. But then in the next seconds, everything started really hard for about 20 to 30 seconds, something like that. And I got really nervous. I tried to hide under my sofa. I couldn't. I was looking for my dog in the moment, in the chaos. I got my dog and I saw half of my house falling off. like that, literally. Good grief. I mean, you must have been terrified. Yes, it was a complete disaster. I wasn't prepared. I wasn't thinking anything like that could happen ever in my home and in Venezuela in general. And just in terms of the picture around you, Kelvin, I mean, you said that half your house fell down.

5:42How badly has La Guaira been damaged from what you've been able to see? I saw like 10 different buildings that doesn't exist anymore. They were like complete crash with people inside, you know? OK, and that's, I mean, that's the key part of this, isn't it? That these were residential buildings, you're saying, where people were likely to have been trapped. Yes, there are people alive trapped in those houses. What sort of efforts are there to get people out? I mean, have you seen a big response from the emergency services? I mean, in my son, it's a little bit difficult. I think one in the rest, everybody is looking for medicines and for the relative because some people don't know anything about the relative at this moment.

6:42So there's not a lot of information. I assume also it's quite difficult. I mean, presumably we're speaking to you, but I guess often what happens in the aftermath of something like an earthquake is that it can be a lot more difficult to get through to people, phone lines are down, that sort of thing. Is that what you're finding as well, that other things have stopped working? Yes, yes. Combined to the natural disaster, we were having and I'm having right now the problem with the electricity, the problem with the internet right now. We don't have anything like that, anything. I'm charging my phone right now in my car.

7:22And where are you staying right now? I mean, from what I understand, the government has suggested that people stay away from their houses, especially if there's been damage, because they're worried about collapses, they're worried about gas explosions. Can you just tell me what you're doing? Yes, something that I was watching yesterday, and I think this is really important, that the really hard damage was to the tall and old buildings, and the houses are better than those buildings. The houses with floor or maybe two floors is OK, the majority. But the buildings, the really old bindles from 50 years ago, everything crashed, everything.

8:08And with people inside, that's crazy. What do you need right now? And what do you think the people around you need? What sort of help are you hoping to get? Well, first of all, first medical needs for a lot of people, even for my family. Obviously, water, principal foods to stay for these days. because the problem is that we don't know how long the recovery is going to take. We don't know if we're going to get another earthquake, maybe today, maybe tomorrow, because last night we have several, but smaller, you know? Yeah, and I mean, there hasn't been an earthquake. People are saying there hasn't been an earthquake this strong in Venezuela, perhaps for 100 years or more.

8:53it presumably is going to be a huge task to rebuild a city like La Guaira. Yeah, I think that the main problem here in La Guaira, and this is an important fact, in 1999, it was a natural disaster here in La Guaira because it started raining, raining and raining, and the rivers and the beach, everything collapsed, everything, all the houses. And from that moment, they start building different buildings with really bad infrastructure. So I think that most of the buildings that fell off yesterday are the ones that were built with poor conditions. Kelvin Padilla speaking to me from Laguario in northern Venezuela.

9:44Let's just cross a little way further south to Caracas, the capital, and speak to Lila Vega. She's a paediatrician, a grandmother, a member of the local government with the party Unión y Cambio, Unity and Change. Lila, thank you so much for your time. And it's good to have you back on News Out, albeit in terrible circumstances. What have you seen this morning? People have been responding. The municipalities in Caracas, the one most affected seems to have within Chacao, which is right where a fault, a geological fault passes by, passes through. And there were four buildings there that collapsed.

10:23But there was a quick response from the municipal government. And they have received help from other levels of government. My municipality, Baruta, was not that badly affected. But in spite of that, we had three people that died. Two houses collapsed and three people have died. The number of buildings that have collapsed, it goes around 83. And what we hear is friends and relatives looking for their friends and relatives, calling, asking, searching. Right. And if my maths is correct, I mean, it's about 14 hours since the quakes struck. And I presume it's very much a sort of live operation that this is, you know, there is a real chance of if people can get to those who are trapped of rescuing them.

11:23Yes, absolutely. It's very recent still. The issue is how do the resources get to the most affected areas? Like WIDA, as your prior interviewee were saying, is the most affected. Most of the buildings that fell, fell in that area. And it's not a very strong municipality, and it doesn't have all that many resources, and it has the largest challenge of all. A couple of buildings where I spent my childhood fell to the ground. I'm sorry to hear that. And can I ask you, I mean, you're a pediatrician, you're a doctor. Venezuela, once upon a time, it had the most wonderful reputation in Latin America for its health service, unrivaled.

12:06That, of course, you know, those days have long gone. How much of a challenge is this going to be for the health services? Huge, huge. Fortunately, we have been offered aid and help, and supplies have been coming in prior to this earthquake that had to do with the political situation and recovering it. And there has been an outpouring also of solidarity from the private sector who's willing to take care of all the patients and just as part of what they have to do. So in spite of the difficulties, I'm pretty sure you're getting ready to respond adequately. And this may seem like a rather sort of hazy and wishful question, Lila, but given the terrible difficulties, the terrible divisions that there have been in Venezuela in recent years, do you think there's any chance that this could be a moment where people do actually come together?

13:00I do. I do. The response from Lelci Rodriguez has been different from what had happened in prior catastrophes and problems that we had in the prior 27 years. So that's a good sign. They're calling all of us to help. And that's also something that's positive that did not happen before. So, yeah, I do think it's an opportunity to get together and see what we do have in common and work around that. Lila, we wish you well. Thank you very much for your time today. Lila Vega, a paediatrician and also a member of the local government in Caracas. Coming up on this programme, we'll be returning to that massive story out of Venezuela.

13:46More on that in 15 minutes. We'll also be looking at a couple of other stories, including good news for Canada of a sort, in that it has progressed, its team has progressed in the World Cup, but the downside for some fans might be that they now have to travel to the United States. I feel amazing. Like, we lost, but I feel like we won. Vancouver as a whole city is amazing. The team played well. I mean, we're moving on. So, no, I mean, this has been an amazing experience for Canada. One Canadian fan trying to look on the bright side. We'll hear more about that in just over 10 minutes. And as I say, we will be returning to our main story this hour, that more than 160 people are confirmed dead in Venezuela after those two powerful earthquakes.

14:41This is NewsHour. It's live from the BBC with me, Tim Franks. Let's look at a couple of other stories now. and Europe is continuing to sweat through this protracted heatwave, a heatwave which has now seen another record melted in France. The National Weather Agency said that last night was the hottest ever recorded across the country. And just to make the obvious point, this is June, not peak summer. And this isn't just weather. These heatwaves are hotter, longer lasting and more frequent than ever before. So the question for those in charge, for governments, is the perennial one. What are you doing about it?

15:19Eleanor Carroix is the French Minister for International Partnerships. In that capacity, she's in London at the moment for Climate Action Week. So what does she say to the charge that the French government has been unprepared for the impact of climate change? Well, I hear that criticism and I hear it mainly from the far right parties in France. And this is a bit cynical because those are precisely the parties that have failed to vote any measure that would actually prevent these heat waves from being so dramatic, in particular, everything that has to do with urban planning and increasing the number of trees and so forth.

15:57But we've had three national plans on adaptation to climate change, and we've implemented up to 85 percent and have this burst also funds for up to 85 percent of these plans. And of course, this is not sufficient. But the reason it's not sufficient is because the velocity of these changes, although we can now predict them, and we know it's going to be harder and harsher, are so much faster than the possibility to change the houses that were built centuries ago. And it also requires education of our population, which is not used to this climate. But we are taking this extremely seriously and have for the past years.

16:37Absolutely. I totally get the point that I mean, if you're talking about Paris, for example, and all its wonderful zinc roofs, wonderful to look at, but they're very difficult to know exactly what to do with them during a heatwave. But one of the criticisms is that under this government, actually, for example, schools are being built that are south facing without any blinds or curtains, or they just don't anticipate what is very predictable now, which is at a certain point in the year, you're going to get these heatwaves. So there isn't enough planning. No, I believe this really is an unfair critique.

17:14I fully understand that people are suffering. I mean, we're all suffering from the heat wave. And of course, this being the highest temperature ever recorded since we started recording temperatures, of course, it creates a lot of anxiety amongst the population. But this government, contrary to those that are now criticizing, has been telling the population this and taking measures to address the root causes for climate change. And we've done a lot when it comes to the protection of ocean. And why is this relevant? Because, of course, oceans are the main captors of CO2. We've done a lot also when it comes to forests.

17:49And in terms of adaptation of our cities, of our customs, we also have done a lot. And, of course, schools were also built a long time ago. and a lot of things are said now about air conditioning and whether we should have air conditioning everywhere. This of course is not the solution. It is important to have air conditioning in hospitals, in some schools and places that are particularly exposed. But if you were to follow what most of those criticizing the government now are saying, which is to equip every single inhabitant of France with an AC, then the situation would be far worse ultimately.

18:27May I ask you about root causes, as you put it? There was wide reporting towards the end of last year that your president, Emmanuel Macron, had been instrumental in trying to get the European Union to water down its targets, its climate targets for 2040. and he's also previously pushed hard for there to be, as he has described it, a massive regulatory break on green laws in France and across the EU. Could this president and your administration be guilty of a little bit of hypocrisy on this? I do not believe it is the case at all. This government has put a lot of political weight and leadership into climatic diplomacy.

19:20And again, I spoke about BB &J and about the oceans. It was this government that pushed forward and that allowed for this treaty that would have taken years to be put in place to actually enter into force. It was also this government and France's leadership that has pushed for more regulation and also at a European level address those issues particularly. There is a lot of debate ongoing and in particular because of some of the norms that are felt as being unfair by the agricultures in France. And it is a matter of fairness. What this government has done is actually to request that there would be standards that be the same at European level.

20:00But I believe that the critiques are rather unfair for a government that have been in the direct line of the Paris agreements that took place in Paris in 2015. And in ensuring that this voice of diplomacy when it comes to climate be heard, in particular in a context where you have D7 countries such as the United States, current administration, denying that there is climate change at all. And that was Eleonore Carroix, French Minister for International Partnerships.

20:35Many of us crave a spot of escapism. Certainly it's the case for Scotland fans in the NewsHour production team today. Well, one diversion newly on offer this week is the latest DC Universe movie. It's called Supergirl and it's the first time Superman's female cousin has had a movie all to herself since one came out in 1984. The BBC's Peter Gillibrand has been speaking to fans and the film's stars at its UK premiere in London's Leicester Square. If you love Supergirl, say yeah! I'm obsessed with Supergirl as a character. I think she's brilliant. What is it about Supergirl that excites you? It's just seeing a powerful girl is just so exciting.

21:15Why are you here? I'm here for Jason. He's a character, isn't he? Oh, yeah. You're very tall. Start with your name and who you are. Jason Momoa, and I play Lobo. Yeah, we're just finally here. It's fun. Like, this is something I've been dreaming about for, you know, I guess my whole career. I'm Millie Alcock, and I play Supergirl. When you're playing a character that's really beloved, you have to get acceptance from that community. I felt a lot of pressure from them, and, you know, just to be in my first film as the lead in a superhero film. Supergirl's out in cinemas in its 14-year-old actor Eve Ridley's first big break.

21:45Surreal. It's insane. and I found out I got the role, I burst out crying. You should be so proud of yourself, man. Thank you so much. This whole new chapter from DC streaming. Supergirl's part of the DC comic book universe. The film is part of a massive rebrand of DC Studios. I'm Peter Safran, I'm co-CEO of DC and the producer of Supergirl. We just love these characters and we want to do right by the legacy. The Gods and Monsters era started officially last year with Superman, where Supergirl even made a cameo. Sir, I think your cousin has returned. Yeah. But this year we're seeing two more additions, Supergirl and Clayface.

22:18The studios are hoping to bring everything together to make it a bit more uniform. Because before, we saw different takes on the iconic characters. Some experts reckon the franchise wasn't doing as well as it had hoped across all the content compared to Marvel. It was an incredible opportunity to get back on track. We have a big responsibility on our shoulders. I want to rebuild the trust of the audience, which I think DC had lost over the years. Mama! Who's that? That's Jason's son. Put your hands in the air! You've got to be thinking about Marvel with Doomsday coming up. It must be quite a competitive time.

22:49That which unites comic book fans is much greater than that, which divides us. We're keeping our fingers crossed that they have a great winter. Being a part of a new rebrand of the DC Universe and them trusting in you with that. Well, I'm pretty happy. I've done Aquaman. Now I'm excited that I'm actually in this universe too and I'm playing my dream role. It's just an evolution of things and I'm excited to be a part of it. It's like the biggest thing that could ever happen. So will Supergirl actually help DC's reboot? The reviews are mixed at the moment. So let's hear from DC fan, Jesse. I felt like the characters weren't being portrayed the way that I expected them to.

23:20But like this new reboot, I'm feeling with the characters and their energy, like exactly how I've read them in the comics before. Some very excited people ahead of that Supergirl movie premiere. That was Peter Gillibrand reporting. This is New Zare.

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24:41taxes and trade, inflation concerns, the Federal Reserve, and how regulatory developments can affect companies, sectors, and even the entire market. Mike and his guests offer their perspective on how policy changes could affect what you do with your portfolio. Download the latest episode and follow at schwab.com slash Washington Wise or wherever you listen.

25:07welcome back to news hour we're going to head to the football world cup and one of the three hosts canada missed the chance to win their group and stay on home soil for their next game after losing 2-1 to switzerland and vancouver the team and the fans will now have to travel to los angeles for the next round but these canadian supporters are remaining upbeat i feel amazing like we lost but I feel like we won. Vancouver as a whole city is amazing. The team played well. I mean, we're moving on. So, no, I mean, this has been an amazing experience for Canada. Very proud of our country right now. We're proud.

25:46We're proud. We're sad, but we're proud. Hey, we got game 32. Whatever the hard way, but let's go. It was a great performance, especially in the second half. But I feel like every time I watch the Canadian team, they don't put up the same performance in the first half as they put up in the second half. And if they're able to keep up the second half performances from the beginning of the game until the second half, they have a better chance of getting better results. I think that our fans will travel, but I can assure you that every pub and bar and restaurant in Canada will be full and supporting the boys.