Venezuelans 'dying Slowly' In Rat- And Roach-infested Homes

Venezuelans 'dying slowly' in rat- and roach-infested homes

Caracas, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Oct, 2020 ) :Sunlight cannot penetrate, the air is fetid and fellow residents include rats and cockroaches -- but that's how 14 families are "dying slowly" in government accommodation in Venezuela's capital Caracas.

They live on the ground floor of a ministry building a stone's throw from the Miraflores presidential palace.

"Here, we're dying slowly. It's shameful that humans" have to live this way, resident Johan Medina told AFP, as his skinny arms rested on the wheelchair he's used since an accident seven years ago damaged his spine.

There are hundreds of families living in state-supplied shelters in crisis-wracked Venezuela.

Many lost their homes to flood damage, although six years of economic meltdown under President Nicolas Maduro has also left millions in abject poverty, while basic services have been paralyzed.

They're hoping for state aid from the socialist government that boasts of having delivered three million homes since launching a massive housing plan in 2011 under the late president Hugo Chavez -- figures disputed by the opposition.

At the entrance to the building that houses the women's ministry, amongst other state institutions, there are pictures of Chavez and his successor Maduro.

Signs on the walls read: "No more Trump," and "Vote Chavez." With no services such as running water, residents like Medina are particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus pandemic -- but that's the least of the 31-year-old's worries.

"Why bother using a mask?" he said bitterly, pointing to filth and stagnant water around him.

It's mandatory to wear face masks in the country of 30 million that has registered 86,000 cases and 736 deaths, according to official figures.