Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, announced a state of emergency after two earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 struck near the capital Caracas Wednesday night, collapsing buildings and sowing panic. Simon Bolivar International Airport (CCS), Venezuela’s main international gateway, where a section of the roof crumbled will close following “serious damage” to its infrastructure, Rodriguez said.
“We urge our population to remain calm,” Rodriguez said in an address. “We urge unity.”
Additionally, classes have been cancelled for several days.
Rodriguez also asked all healthcare professionals in the country to report to hospitals to assist anyone who was injured.
Follow LIVE Updates On Venezuela Earthquake
According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), an earthquake of magnitude 7.2, with an epicenter west of the community of Moron, about 168 kilometers west of Caracas, hit the country. The quake had a depth of 21.9 kilometers. Within 39 seconds, another strong earthquake of magnitude 7.5 hit. It had a depth of 10 kilometers.
The USGS defined the two earthquakes as “foreshock” and “mainshock.”
“This earthquake was the first event in a doublet, this magnitude 7.2 foreshock was followed just 39 seconds later by a larger 7.5 mainshock,” the USGS said.
Over 20 aftershocks followed.
While acting president Rodriguez did not give a number for deaths and injuries, the USGS estimates suggest the death count would likely range from 10,000 to a lakh.
In the state of Falcon, Governor Victor Clark said 32 people had been hospitalised and more than four hours after the earthquake there were still 15 people trapped.
Gustavo Duque, the mayor of the Chacao municipality in Caracas, said several buildings collapsed, and 18 survivors were extracted from one building alone. He urged citizens to seek shelter and aid at public plazas as there could be aftershocks.
“We’re going to do everything we can to rescue the most people possible,” he said, as reported by the news agency Reuters.
The US has extended help to the South American nation, stating it “stands with the Venezuelan people in the aftermath of this evening’s devastating earthquakes.”
“We’re in touch with the authorities and mobilising assistance. May God bless our Venezuelan friends at this difficult moment,” Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said on X.
The US stands with the Venezuelan people in the aftermath of this evening’s devastating earthquakes. We’re in touch with the authorities and mobilizing assistance. May God bless our Venezuelan friends at this difficult moment. ¡Fuerza Venezuela! ¡Estamos con Ustedes! 🇺🇸🙏🇻🇪
— Christopher Landau (@DeputySecState) June 25, 2026
The Night Of Horror In Venezuela
“It was unbelievable, I don’t even know how long it lasted,” shopkeeper Heidi Romero, who was on the top floor of a shopping center in Caracas at the time of the earthquake, told the news agency AFP.
“We went out through the emergency stairs; that’s how they got us out,” the 42-year-old said.
Caracas, which was hit by a deadly 6.3 magnitude earthquake in 1967, saw its citizens running from pillar to post seeking shelter.
Caracas resident Roberto Gamas recalls being ‘tossed around’ as they tried to walk out of the building to safety.
“The building really shook from side to side. Unreal. The force was incredibly strong,” Gamas told the news agency AP. “We were walking and it was tossing us around. Everything in the apartment fell. Well, thank God we were able to get out.”
Also Read | “Stairs Came Away, Whole Wall Cracked”: Residents Recount Venezuela Earthquakes
Coro Martinez, 56, who lives in the eastern Caracas, heard a loud crash and then saw things falling in the house.
“There was a very loud crash. Things fell in the house, jugs inside the refrigerator. I’ve never experienced anything like it,” Martinez told the news agency Reuters.
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 said.
A 41-year-old said she received an earthquake alert on her phone just before the shaking intensified.
“As I picked it up and started listening to what it was saying, I first felt light shaking. Then, in less than two seconds, everything started moving.”
Videos Show Panic, Damage In Venezuela
Visuals from the Simon Bolivar International Airport show passengers running out of the building with their luggage in hand as the terminal shakes, power flickers, and dust clouds fill the area. Some are seen taking shelter inside the building, under a food counter.
Passengers panic and run for cover at Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía, Venezuela, as the terminal shakes and power flickers, resulting from a massive 7.5 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Caracas. pic.twitter.com/uWN4ZqFjOZ
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) June 24, 2026
In a heartwarming visual, a man is seen carrying two dogs in his arms as he makes his way out of a damaged building, saving not just his life, but also his pets.
More buildings seen severely damaged in Caracas, Venezuela following a 7.5 magnitude earthquake that struck to the west of the capital. pic.twitter.com/gkNPF3Gxdr
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) June 24, 2026
The intensity of the two earthquakes, said to be among the strongest quakes to hit the country in more than a century, is evident in footage from inside a building. In a scene from a living room, a vase has fallen on a table, a wall mounted television shakes violently, and a couch placed next to it moves to and fro.
Footage seen from inside a building as the 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck in Venezuela. Severe damage has been reported across Northern Venezuela, as numerous reports of injuries have also been reported. pic.twitter.com/E2IohOsJAU
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) June 24, 2026
Landslides have also been triggered by the earthquake.
