Venezuela races to rescue hundreds after massive earthquakes. Updates

Rescue crews and residents are searching for hundreds of people trapped under the rubble of buildings on Thursday, June 25, after back-to-back major earthquakes struck Venezuela's northern coast and caused devastation across the region.

The two tremors, which hit less than a minute apart, triggered panic in the capital of Caracas as residents fled into the streets. Photos and videos showed significant structural damage, including collapsed apartment buildings and debris-strewn roadways.

Venezuelan officials reported on the evening of June 25 that at least 235 people had been confirmed dead and at least 4,300 people were injured. Officials have warned that the number of deaths is expected to rise.

"We've unfortunately received about 235 patients who arrive without vital signs or who pass away as they're arriving at our health centers," Health Minister Carlos Alvarado said in an interview with state television.

Jorge Rodríguez, who heads Venezuela's national assembly and is the brother of acting President Delcy Rodríguez, said earlier in the day that 200 people had been trapped under rubble, with 250 buildings damaged or destroyed.

Delcy Rodríguez, who has been acting as the president of Venezuela since U.S. forces removed former President Nicolás Maduro, declared a state of emergency in a brief address to the nation late June 24. International leaders expressed solidarity with Venezuela, and rescue teams from various countries were expected to arrive soon to help with aid efforts.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) warned that "high casualties and damage are probable, and that the disaster is likely widespread." The agency said that aftershocks, including "some potentially with strong shaking," may follow the two earthquakes.

A tsunami threat was initially issued for Puerto Rico and the United States and British Virgin Islands, but was canceled after the danger passed, according to the U.S. Tsunami Warning System.

Here's what we know so far.

What caused the earthquakes?

Venezuela is vulnerable to powerful quakes because it's on the active tectonic boundary between the Caribbean Plate and the South American Plate. The two giant plates grind past each other, building stress across several major faults.

These graphics tell the story of the tectonic plates behind the June 24 Venezuela earthquakes.

-Janet Loehrke, Ramon Padilla, and George Petras

Venezuela quakes were the largest in over a century

Since 1900, the largest earthquake to strike in or near Venezuela was an Oct. 29, 1900, magnitude 7.7 quake in the area of Caracas, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. A 7.3 quake struck in August 2018 off the Venezuelan coast.

Northern Venezuela has a history of damaging earthquakes, but in the immediate area of the June 24 quakes, the USGS said there have only been seven quakes with a magnitude of 6.0 or higher in the last century. In September 2025, the region experienced another doublet set of earthquakes, a 6.2 and 6.3 that caused at least one death.

There have been five earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.0 or greater in broader northern Venezuela or near its coast since 1900.

Have earthquakes become more common?

The powerful back-to-back earthquakes in Venezuela have prompted the question: Have large earthquakes become more common around the world?

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, there is no evidence that earthquakes are increasing globally. Instead, seismic activity naturally fluctuates over time, with short-term spikes and quieter periods reflecting normal variation in how stress is released along Earth's tectonic plates.

USGS records show that the apparent rise in detected earthquakes in recent decades is largely due to improved global monitoring systems, which now record far more small earthquakes than were previously detectable. Longterm data suggest the Earth experiences about 16 major earthquakes per year at magnitude 7 or greater, with year-to-year variation above and below that average. Read more.

-Brandi D. Addison

$200m fund to rebuild infrastructure

Rodríguez said that an initial fund of $200 million would be created using resources from the International Monetary Fund dedicated to rebuilding infrastructure, hospitals and housing.

"Dozens of buildings have collapsed," she said on state television. "La Guaira state is a true tragedy, and has become a disaster zone."

La Guaira, near Caracas and home to the city's airport, has been the worst-affected area, she said. Officials have said 250 buildings had been damaged or destroyed, mainly in La Guaira.

International aid heads to Venezuela

Governments and humanitarian organizations across the world have begun sending funds, rescue teams, and other forms of aid to Venezuela in response to the deadly earthquakes.

On June 25, the U.S. Treasury issued a license authorizing transactions related to earthquake relief efforts in Venezuela that would have been banned under sanctions into October.

United Nations emergency relief chief, Tom Fletcher, said the humanitarian affairs office was coordinating the deployment of international urban search-and-rescue teams. Some 8 million people in the country required humanitarian aid even before the quake, he noted, and the disaster could make them more vulnerable.

"The coming days will require a massive collective effort to support the government-led response and help communities," Fletcher said.

Search-and-rescue teams have also been deployed from the United States, El Salvador, Mexico, Spain, and Italy, according to officials. "That's their most immediate need right now, is search and rescue efforts," U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.

Powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela within seconds

At about 6:04 p.m. local time on June 24, a magnitude 7.2 foreshock occurred about 14 miles southeast of Yumare, Venezuela, data from the USGS showed. Yumare is a town located in the Yaracuy state, about 173 miles west of Caracas.

The temblor – which was initially reported as a magnitude 7.1 – had a depth of about 12.6 miles and its epicenter was west of Morón, a town located on the country's Caribbean coast, according to the USGS.

About 39 seconds later, the USGS reported a second major earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 that also occurred roughly 14 miles southeast of Yumare. The second quake had a depth of about 6 miles, and its epicenter was southwest of Morón.

Venezuela lies in a seismically active zone where the Caribbean Plate meets the South American Plate. The USGS said the magnitude 7.5 earthquake occurred as a result of "shallow strike-slip faulting near the complex plate boundary between the Caribbean and South American plates."

"This event was the mainshock of a severe seismic doublet sequence, occurring just 39 seconds after an M 7.2 foreshock," the USGS said on its website. "A doublet sequence – defined as two earthquakes of similar magnitude that occur close in time and proximity – likely indicates a complex, rupture-interaction process."

Death toll grows in Venezuela earthquakes

At least 235 people are dead, and more than 4,300 others were injured across the region, according to officials.

Houses collapsed near the quake's epicenter in Morón, where there was no water or electricity. Three children were among at least eight killed in the area, Mayor Emily Riera told Reuters.

At least three people were killed in the Baruta district in Caracas after two buildings collapsed, the district mayor said on social media. One person was killed, and four buildings had completely collapsed, Gustavo Duque, the mayor of the Chacao district in Caracas, told reporters. Twenty-two people had been moved to a hospital.

In the coastal state of Falcon, Gov. Victor Clark said on state television that 22 people were injured and 15 people were missing.

"We have buildings, homes and houses which have collapsed and we are taking care of things with everything we have available in terms of security, civil assistance," Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said on state television.

Earthquakes cause significant damage across Venezuela

Rodríguez said the earthquakes caused damage in several states. She later reported that dozens of buildings had collapsed in La Guaira.

"We are currently carrying out very intense rescue efforts to save as many lives as God allows us to save," she said in an appearance on state television just before 1 a.m. local time June 25. "I also want to say that this is a true tragedy. From here, we send our message of solidarity, and to those families who have lost loved ones, we reaffirm our condolences and our support in these difficult hours."

Some 200 families who live in a damaged residential complex in Morón were removing what personal possessions they could reach, including mattresses, televisions, and washing machines, according to Reuters.

At least eight hospitals, the headquarters of the Venezuelan Red Cross, and the French embassy were among buildings reported to have been badly damaged. Cabello said about 70,000 families in La Guaira state had been affected.

Simón Bolívar International Airport in the city of Maiquetía, near Caracas, was closed until further notice because of damage, Rodríguez said. School classes will be canceled nationwide for the remainder of the week, and rail services and non-essential activities have also been temporarily suspended.

Fire trucks were seen on the streets of Caracas, where some buildings suffered significant damage, according to Reuters. At Caracas' Hospital de Clinicas, staff were asked to double up on the night shift to help treat the injured, a worker told the news agency.

Witnesses reported feeling the shake in Caracas, Reuters reported. One witness said they were forced to evacuate as the earthquake shook buildings, while another reported that cracks formed on the side of their building, according to the outlet. Video footage showed emergency workers climbing into one collapsed building in the capital as night began to fall.

US, other countries offer Venezuela assistance in earthquake response

Rodríguez said she would request funds from multilateral organizations to back recovery efforts.

Several international leaders, including Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, Dominican Republic's Luis Abinader and Brazil's Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, offered support and condolences. The U.S. State Department said it was in touch with Venezuelan authorities and mobilizing assistance.

Jeremy Lewin, who is in charge of U.S. foreign assistance, said the Department of State has "already mobilized a disaster assistance team and task force to deliver and coordinate critical assistance to the Venezuelan people." He added that the United States will send search and rescue teams, medical and humanitarian supplies and other resources.

In a post on Truth Social, President Donald Trump said the two earthquakes had "left a devastating number of deaths," without citing any official figures.

"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 president said. "I have instructed all agencies of our government to get ready to move quickly. We will be there for our new and great friends. Early reports are not good!!!"

Contributing: Reuters

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Venezuela races to rescue hundreds after massive earthquakes. Updates

Reporting by Thao Nguyen and Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect

This story was originally published June 26, 2026 at 6:37 PM.