Powerful Back-To-Back 7+ Magnitude Earthquakes Rock Caracas, Venezuela; Mass Casualties Feared

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UPDATE 4: The death toll rose to 5,069 late on Friday 17th July, 2026, according to local authorities. Acting President Delcy Rodriguez said the number of injured remains unchanged at 16,740 at this time. Ongoing recovery and debris-clearing operations have led to the increase in the death toll, particularly in the coastal state of La Guaira, which was the hardest hit by the quakes, near to the Caribbean Sea. A total of 1,331 aftershocks have been recorded as of Friday 17th July, 2026.

Venezuela’s interim Government said 856 buildings are damaged and 190 collapsed completely since the 7.2 and 7.5 quakes on 24th June, 2026. Hundreds of other types of structures, such as bridges and roads, were also affected by the powerful quakes.

UPDATE 3: United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, provided an update this morning (Thursday 25th June, 2026) on America’s recovery efforts to help the Venezuelan people after the country was hit by a pair of historic and deadly earthquakes. “We're already deploying search and rescue teams from Fairfax County, Virginia, and Los Angeles. There will be some others we'll add. That's their most immediate need right now, is search and rescue efforts — they have much of collapsed buildings. And so they'll need a lot of help in terms of digging through that.”

Rubio added, “We've already stood up our disaster response teams at the Department of State and our humanitarian efforts. It's something we did very well in Jamaica, after that storm, and it's something we're really prepared to do now.”

UPDATE 2: Venezuelan Acting President, Delcy Rodríguez, declared a State of Emergency amid searches in devastated areas, with the United States Geological Survey (USGS) warning that fatalities could reach in the tens of thousands. Leaders worldwide, from El Salvador's Nayib Bukele to U.S. President Donald Trump, pledged rescuers, medical aid, and supplies, bridging political divides to help the people of Venezuela.

UPDATE: At least 164 people are dead and nearly 1,000 injured after the rare 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude “doublet” earthquakes devastated Venezuela, with officials warning that the death toll is expected to rise.

Dramatic video shows a home collapsing in El Junquito as terrified residents run for cover:

Rescue crews are still searching multiple collapsed buildings in the aftermath of the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude quakes.

Venezuela has been struck by powerful back-to-back 7+ magnitude earthquakes this evening (Wednesday 24th June, 2026), levelling buildings in the capital, Caracas, and prompting fears of mass casualties.

According to reports, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake first struck near San Felipe, about 284 km (176 miles) West of Caracas, at 22:04:33 GMT (6:04:33 PM), followed almost immediately (38 seconds later) by a larger magnitude 7.5 quake near Yumare, about 293 km (182 miles) West of the capital, at 22:05:11 GMT (6:05:11 PM), according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

Both earthquakes were relatively shallow, which contributed significantly to the heavy shaking felt across the region. The magnitude 7.2 quake occurred at a depth of 21.9 kilometers (approximately 14 miles), while the magnitude 7.5 was even shallower, striking at a depth of 10 kilometers (approximately 6 miles).





(Click/Tap Images To Enlarge)

The science agency said 8 million people felt “strong” to “violent” shaking and thousands may have been killed.

More on this as it becomes available. 

This is a developing story - refresh this page for updates.

[Source: Al Jazeera] 

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