At least 164 people are dead after two earthquakes hit Venezuela within 40 seconds of each other Wednesday evening, collapsing buildings across the northern coast and triggering a state of emergency. Nearly 1,000 others were injured. The toll is expected to rise.
The first quake was a 7.2. The second, which followed almost immediately, registered 7.5, the strongest to strike Venezuela in over a century.
President Trump directed all government agencies to move quickly and posted a statement within hours.
“The two major earthquakes that just hit the great people of Venezuela are both massive in scale and have left a devastating number of deaths. The U.S.A. stands ready, willing, and able to help!” - President Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/laeZ9nvTMf
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 25, 2026
Rubio announced U.S. search-and-rescue teams, medical resources, and humanitarian aid were being deployed immediately. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said Venezuela would "never forget the helping hand" extended by the United States. The Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Mexico, Qatar, Brazil, China, and the EU also pledged support.
At Simón Bolívar International Airport, ceiling panels collapsed, and dust poured through the terminal as travelers dropped to the floor.
🇻🇪 ❗️| Momento del terremoto en el Aeropuerto internacional de Maiquetía pic.twitter.com/jsq2giE1u4
— Alerta News 🚨 (@Alerta_News_) June 24, 2026
The airport closed. American Airlines pulled all Caracas flights.
La Guaira, the coastal state just north of Caracas, got hit hardest. High-rises came down. A hotel collapsed.
NEW VIDEO: Devastation in La Guaira, Venezuela after powerful earthquake pic.twitter.com/NzxTss0Xje
— BNO News Live (@BNODesk) June 24, 2026
From boats offshore, fishermen filmed the coastline going gray behind a wall of dust from the collapses.
Fishermen in the sea off the coast of La Guaira record the moments after the earthquake with dust covering large parts of the coast as a result of building collapses#Venezuela pic.twitter.com/D8KNwLkLDf
— CNW (@ConflictsW) June 25, 2026
Rodríguez addressed the gap in the official count.
"The worst-hit place is the state of La Guaira, where dozens of buildings have collapsed. The figures we have reported so far do not include La Guaira. We ask the public to report missing people and damage to their homes as rescue operations continue."
Read More: Big One Closer Than Ever: San Andreas Fault Now Hitting Record Tectonic Stress
Wednesday was a national holiday. Most people were home. Power failed across parts of Caracas, internet connectivity dropped from above 90 percent to around 59 percent at its lowest, and thousands slept outside rather than go back into buildings they weren't sure would hold.
One woman near the epicenter said part of her house had come down.
"I've never felt something so strong," she said.
A baseball game at University of Caracas Stadium was in the first inning when the ground moved.
Momento en el que empezó a temblar.
— Héctor A. Hernández (@hectOr_2410) June 24, 2026
📍 Estadio Universitario de Caracas. pic.twitter.com/C1USIiO6lp
In Galipán, above the capital, smoke rose over rooftops as residents stood in the street.
Galipan Caracas pic.twitter.com/wz6eag9Bmt
— 🇻🇪 amilcarrock 🇺🇦 (@amilcarrock) June 24, 2026
Metro and rail service shut down across Caracas. Schools closed for the week. Gas was cut to several affected areas while crews checked water lines and infrastructure.
What made Wednesday unusual, beyond the death toll: Two major quakes of this size hitting the same region within the same minute is a roughly 1-in-1,000- to 1,200-year event, according to meteorologist Noah Bergren. A separate 6.9+ quake struck Japan within the same two-hour window.
Pretty rare earthquake activity tonight on Earth.
— Noah Bergren (@NbergWX) June 25, 2026
Both of these things happening within 2 hours of each other:
1 in 1,000 to 1,200 years
• A “doublet” earthquake in Venezuela (two quakes of similar magnitude in the exact same spot)
• A totally separate 6.9+ quake…
Seismologists believe the first rupture transferred stress onto a neighboring fault, which then failed. The magnitude scale is logarithmic; the 7.5 released about twice as much energy as the 7.2, so the combined shaking lasted far longer than either quake would have produced on its own.
La Guira is in ruins....#Venezuela #Earthquake pic.twitter.com/gCqmKjtwsr
— Mr ashen (@TheOfficialMrA1) June 25, 2026
Rescue crews were still pulling at rubble in La Guaira as the sun came up Thursday, working in a city where the official count doesn't yet reflect what's under the collapsed buildings.
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