CARACAS, Venezuela — At least 164 people have been killed and 971 others injured after two powerful earthquakes hit Venezuela, acting President Delcy Rodríguez said early Thursday, June 25, 2026, as rescuers searched damaged buildings and officials warned that the scale of destruction could grow.
The earthquakes struck on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, shaking the capital and other areas at a time when many residents were at home.
The United States Geological Survey said the first quake was recorded in Caracas at 18:04 local time, or 22:04 GMT. Another quake later struck about 23 kilometres southeast of Yumare.
Rodríguez said the country had endured a 7.5-magnitude earthquake 40 seconds after a 7.2-magnitude foreshock, making it Venezuela’s strongest seismic disaster in more than a century. At least 30 aftershocks have followed, she said.
Witnesses told Reuters that tremors were felt as far away as Bogotá, Colombia.
In Caracas, residents described buildings shaking violently and people rushing into the streets.
One resident who survived the city’s 1967 earthquake said this week’s disaster was beyond anything he had previously experienced. Another person who escaped a damaged building said “the scene was like a horror movie.”
Emergency Response
Rodríguez declared a state of emergency and appeared in a national address alongside Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and Jorge Rodríguez, her brother and the head of the National Assembly.
She also appointed a general to oversee the emergency response.
Speaking to Venezuela’s state broadcaster, Rodríguez said she was working with the United Nations to bring in rescue teams and with the International Monetary Fund to establish an initial $200 million fund for reconstruction.
She also appealed to private companies to provide heavy machinery for search-and-rescue operations.
Rodríguez urged Venezuelans to remain calm and “united,” advising people to stay inside only if their homes remained structurally safe. She said the country would hold an interfaith national prayer at 7 p.m. local time.
Cabello urged residents in affected areas to leave unsafe homes as a precaution, according to Agence France-Presse.
He said fuel supplies had been cut off to several buildings to reduce the danger of further incidents.
“We have some damaged structures, and we don’t want any kind of accident involving gas to occur,” the minister said.
Warnings of Further Damage
The United States Geological Survey warned that the earthquakes could cause heavy casualties and extensive destruction, particularly in and around Caracas.
The agency said “the disaster is likely widespread” and warned that strong aftershocks could still occur.
The agency estimated a 44 per cent probability that the death toll could exceed 10,000 and a 30 per cent chance that fatalities could rise above 100,000.
It also warned of a significant risk of landslides and liquefaction, an earthquake-related process in which loose, water-saturated soil loses strength and begins to move like a flowing mass.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States was “immediately deploying” rescue teams and aid at the direction of President Donald Trump.
Rubio also expressed support for Rodríguez in a call after the disaster.
Caracas Confronts Earlier Trauma
The disaster revived memories of the 1967 earthquake that struck Caracas, killing more than 200 people and destroying buildings in Palos Grandes and Altamira.
Both neighbourhoods were affected again this week, with Cabello telling state television that buildings had collapsed there.
As in 1967, residents reported feeling two successive tremors.
The quakes struck Venezuela during a severe political and financial crisis.
Rodríguez has served as interim president since January, when Nicolás Maduro was taken into United States custody and transferred to New York to face alleged drug-trafficking charges.
Rodríguez expressed condolences to families who lost relatives in the earthquakes, while authorities continued rescue operations across the affected areas.
