Rescue workers and residents were searching for hundreds of people trapped under building rubble on Thursday after a series of powerful earthquakes struck off Venezuela’s northern coast, causing severe damage across the region.
The two tremors, which occurred less than a minute apart, caused panic in the capital Caracas, forcing residents to flee to the streets. Photos and videos showed significant structural damage, including collapsed apartment buildings and roads strewn with debris.
Jorge Rodríguez, president of Venezuela’s National Assembly and brother of acting President Delcy Rodríguez, said on Tuesday afternoon that at least 188 people were confirmed dead and 200 were trapped under rubble.
He said at least 1,520 people were hospitalized, 250 buildings were damaged or destroyed and nearly 3,000 households were evacuated. Officials warned that the death toll is expected to rise further.
Delcy Rodriguez, who has been president of Venezuela since the U.S. military removed former President Nicolas Maduro, declared a state of emergency in a short address to the nation late June 24. International leaders have expressed solidarity with Venezuela, and international rescue teams are expected to arrive soon to support aid efforts.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) warned that “the disaster is likely to be widespread, with significant casualties and damage possible.” The agency said the two quakes could be followed by aftershocks that “may be accompanied by strong shaking.”
A tsunami threat was initially issued for Puerto Rico and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, according to the U.S. Tsunami Warning System, but was lifted after the danger passed.
Here’s what we know so far:
Venezuela is vulnerable to powerful earthquakes because it lies on an active tectonic boundary between the Caribbean and South American plates. Two giant plates rub against each other, creating stresses on several large faults.
These graphics tell the story of the plates behind the June 24 Venezuela earthquake.
-Janet Rourke, Ramon Padilla, George Petras
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the largest earthquake to occur in or near Venezuela since 1900 was a magnitude 7.7 earthquake in the Caracas area on October 29, 1900. In August 2018, a magnitude 7.3 earthquake occurred off the coast of Venezuela.
While northern Venezuela has a history of damaging earthquakes, the area in the immediate vicinity of the June 24 quake has experienced only seven earthquakes of magnitude 6.0 or greater in the past 100 years, the USGS said. In September 2025, the region experienced two earthquakes of magnitude 6.2 and 6.3, resulting in at least one death.
Since 1900, five earthquakes of magnitude 7.0 or higher have occurred in large areas of northern Venezuela or near the coast.
A series of powerful earthquakes in Venezuela have raised the question: Are large earthquakes becoming more common around the world?
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, there is no evidence that earthquakes are increasing around the world. Instead, seismic activity naturally fluctuates over time, with short spikes and quiet periods reflecting normal fluctuations in the way stress is released along the Earth’s tectonic plates.
USGS records show that the increase in detected earthquakes in recent decades is largely due to improvements in global monitoring systems, which now record far more small earthquakes than were previously detectable. Long-term data shows that the Earth experiences approximately 16 large earthquakes of magnitude 7 or greater each year, with year-to-year variations above or below that average. read more.
-Brandi D. Addison
Rodriguez said he would create an initial fund of $200 million, using funds from the International Monetary Fund dedicated to rebuilding infrastructure, hospitals and housing.
“Dozens of buildings have collapsed,” he said on state television. “The state of La Guaira is a real tragedy and a disaster zone.”
La Guaira, near Caracas and where the city’s airport is located, was the hardest hit area, she said. Officials said 250 buildings were damaged or destroyed, mainly in La Guaira.
Governments and humanitarian organizations around the world have begun sending funds, rescue teams and other forms of aid to Venezuela in response to the deadly earthquake.
On June 25, the U.S. Treasury Department issued a permit authorizing transactions related to Venezuela’s earthquake relief efforts that would have been prohibited until October under sanctions.
U.N. Emergency Relief Director Tom Fletcher said the Humanitarian Affairs Secretariat was coordinating the deployment of an international urban search and rescue team. He pointed out that approximately 8 million people in the country were in need of humanitarian assistance even before the earthquake, and the latest disaster could make them even more vulnerable.
“The coming days will require a massive collective effort to support the government-led response and support local communities,” Mr Fletcher said.
Search and rescue teams are also being dispatched from the United States, El Salvador, Mexico, Spain and Italy, officials said. “What they most urgently need right now is search and rescue operations,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.
A magnitude 7.2 foreshock occurred approximately 14 miles southeast of Umalé, Venezuela, at approximately 6:04 p.m. local time on June 24, according to USGS data. Umalé is a town in the state of Yaraqui, about 273 miles west of Caracas.
The quake, initially reported to be magnitude 7.1, was at a depth of about 12 miles (20.6 kilometers) and was centered west of the Caribbean town of Moron, according to the USGS.
About 39 seconds later, the USGS reported that a second major earthquake of magnitude 7.5 also occurred about 14 miles southeast of Yumalé. The second earthquake was approximately 9 miles deep and its epicenter was southwest of Moron.
Venezuela is located in a seismically active zone where the Caribbean and South American plates meet. The USGS said the magnitude 7.5 earthquake occurred as a result of a “shallow strike-slip fault near the complex plate boundary between the Caribbean and South American plates.”
“This earthquake was the main shock of a severe double earthquake that occurred just 39 seconds after a magnitude 7.2 foreshock,” the USGS said on its website. “Doublet sequences (defined as two earthquakes of similar magnitude that occur close in time and in close proximity) may indicate complex rupture interaction processes.”
At least 188 people were killed and more than 1,500 injured across the region, Jorge Rodriguez said.
In Moron, near the epicenter of the earthquake, houses were destroyed and there was no running water or electricity. Mayor Emily Riera told Reuters that three children were among at least eight people killed in the area.
Two buildings collapsed in Caracas’ Balta district, killing at least three people, the district’s mayor announced on social media. Gustavo Duque, the mayor of Caracas’ Chacao district, told reporters that one person was killed and four buildings were completely destroyed. 22 people were taken to the hospital.
In the coastal province of Falcon, Governor Victor Clark said on national television that 22 people were injured and 15 were missing.
“There are collapsed buildings, houses, homes, and we are dealing with it with everything available in terms of security and civilian aid,” Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said on state television.
Magnitude 7.1 earthquake shakes Venezuela, triggering tsunami threat
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake shook north-central Venezuela, triggering a tsunami warning for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
Rodriguez said the earthquake caused damage in multiple states. She later reported that dozens of buildings had collapsed in La Guaira.
Appearing on state television just before 1 a.m. local time on June 25, she said: “We are currently carrying out a very intense rescue operation to save as many lives as God allows us to save. I would also like to say that this is a true tragedy. From here we send a message of solidarity, express our condolences to the families who have lost loved ones and reaffirm our support in this difficult time.”
According to Reuters, about 200 families living in Moron-hit apartment complexes had removed personal belongings within reach, including mattresses, televisions and washing machines.
Simón Bolívar International Airport in the city of Maiquetia, near Caracas, was closed until further notice due to damage, Rodriguez said. School classes will be canceled nationwide for the rest of this week, and train services and non-essential activities will also be suspended.
According to Reuters, fire engines were seen on the streets of Caracas, and some buildings sustained major damage. At the Clinicas Hospital in Caracas, staff were asked to double their night shifts to help treat the injured, officials told the news agency.
Witnesses reported feeling shaking in Caracas, Reuters reported. According to the newspaper, one witness said the building was shaking during the earthquake and had to be evacuated, while another reported seeing cracks appear on the side of the building. Video footage showed emergency workers climbing into collapsed buildings in the capital as night fell.
Rodriguez said he would request funding from multilateral agencies to support recovery efforts.
Several international leaders expressed support and condolences, including President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador, Luis Abinader of the Dominican Republic and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil. The U.S. State Department said it is in contact with Venezuelan authorities and is mobilizing assistance.
Jeremy Lewin, director of U.S. foreign assistance, said the State Department is “already mobilizing disaster relief teams and task forces to provide and coordinate critical assistance to the Venezuelan people.” He added that the United States would send search and rescue teams, medical and humanitarian supplies, and other resources.
President Donald Trump said in a post on Truth Social that the two earthquakes caused a “catastrophic number of deaths,” without citing official numbers.
“Both of the two great earthquakes that struck the great people of Venezuela were of great magnitude and caused a devastating number of deaths,” the President said. “I have directed all agencies of government to be prepared to act quickly. We are there for our new great friends. Early reporting is not good!!!”
Contributed by: Reuters
