Twin Earthquakes Devastate Venezuela: Mass Casualties Feared

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By TRH World Desk

A powerful 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck Venezuela on June 24, 2026, levelling buildings in Caracas. State of emergency declared. USGS warns of up to 100,000 casualties. Latest updates here.

New Delhi, June 25, 2026 — Venezuela has been rocked by a catastrophic seismic event — twin earthquakes that experts are calling among the most destructive in the country’s history in over a century.

A magnitude 7.2 foreshock struck near San Felipe just after 6:04 p.m. local time on Wednesday, followed just 40 seconds later by an even more powerful 7.5-magnitude quake near Yumare, both in Yaracuy state. The quakes are among the strongest to strike Venezuela in more than a century.

The timing made the disaster worse. Wednesday was a public holiday celebrating St. John the Baptist as well as commemorating Venezuela’s independence from Spain — meaning many people may have been home or at public events when the tremors struck.

Acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez confirmed fatalities, declared a state of emergency, and noted that 20 aftershocks had already been recorded. The Caracas airport was shut down due to heavy damage per NBC News. Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello confirmed “alarming situations” in the Altamira neighbourhood, with collapsed homes and buildings, urging motorists to clear the way for ambulances.

Cabello addressed the nation on state television: “We understand that some people may be desperate, but we are acting according to protocols to activate aid and rescue efforts to help those who need it most. Be very careful with children and the elderly; call each other and check that no one has been harmed.”

Scenes of Horror in the Capital

Eyewitnesses described scenes of utter devastation. Maria Alejandra, a Caracas resident, told Reuters after escaping her damaged building: “There was a cloud of smoke that wouldn’t let us see. And when we went downstairs, the scene was like a horror movie. We had to climb over the rubble and everything.”

Maria Romero, an 80-year-old pensioner in southern Caracas, said police helped her get out of her home. “This earthquake was horrible, even worse than the one in 1967,” she told CNBC.

At Simón Bolívar International Airport, chaos erupted. Footage posted on social media by Wilmer Azuaje, an elected representative for Barinas State, showed falling debris and people running for cover. Odalis Escalona, a 54-year-old bank employee, told AFP: “The stairs came away, the whole wall cracked. Things fell from the ceiling.”

US Scientists Warn of Mass Casualties

The USGS issued a red alert through its PAGER system, initially estimating the death toll would most likely range from 10,000 to 100,000, placing the probability of that range at 44 percent, RNZ reported.

American seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones, a visiting professor at the California Institute of Technology, offered stark context in a video briefing: “This is one of the really great, very difficult, very damaging earthquakes, because you combined a very large event with residences of a lot of people.”

The US Embassy in Caracas issued an alert to Americans in Venezuela, warning them to seek safe shelter and avoid damaged areas, per CNN.

Rescue Operations Underway

Video footage showed emergency workers climbing through the ruins of collapsed buildings in Caracas as night fell, while distraught relatives sought help for loved ones believed to be trapped, reported RNZ. At Caracas’ Hospital de Clinicas, staff were asked to double up on the night shift to help treat the injured.

Security forces have been deployed across Venezuela given the risk of further structural collapses, according to Venezuela’s Ministry of Communications.

(This is a developing story. Updates will be added as more information becomes available.)

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