Venezuela’s interim leader declared a state of emergency on June 24 after two powerful earthquakes struck the country, damaging buildings in the capital and forcing the closure of the nation’s main airport. United States President Donald Trump offered assistance following the disaster.
Interim leader Delcy Rodriguez said around 20 aftershocks were recorded after the earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude, hit the same region of Venezuela, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
The tremors caused widespread panic in Caracas, sending residents into the streets as they feared further collapses.
Authorities had not confirmed whether there were any deaths, but Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said several people were injured and a number of structures had collapsed.
Trump said on Wednesday night that “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 U.S.A. stands ready, willing, and able to help! I have instructed all agencies of our government to get ready to move quickly,” the American president wrote on his Truth Social platform.
“We will be there for our new and great friends. Early reports are not good!!!”
An AFP journalist reported seeing a 22-story building completely destroyed in Caracas’ Altamira neighborhood, where residents called out the names of missing relatives while volunteers searched through the debris.
“We need flashlights,” one volunteer said.
The first earthquake struck at 2204 GMT, with its epicenter located 21 kilometers (13 miles) west of the coastal town of Moron, the USGS reported. Less than a minute later, another earthquake measuring 7.5 magnitude hit an area approximately 45 kilometers away.
“This earthquake was the second event in a doublet. This magnitude 7.5 mainshock was preceded by 39 seconds by a 7.2 foreshock,” USGS said.
Cabello urged residents to leave their homes as a safety measure, saying gas supplies had been temporarily cut to several buildings to prevent possible accidents.
“We have some damaged structures and we don’t want any kind of accident involving gas to occur,” he said.
The Maiquetia International Airport near Caracas was shut down because of “serious damage” to its infrastructure, Rodriguez said. Images shared on social media showed extensive damage at the facility.
The earthquakes occurred at depths of 22 kilometers and 10 kilometers respectively, according to reports.
The shaking was felt beyond Venezuela, reaching Colombia’s capital Bogota, where alarms were activated and some residents evacuated buildings as a precaution.
Freddy Tovar, coordinator of Colombia’s National Seismological Network, said the agency received more than 200 reports of tremors across the country.
“The conditions of this seismic event mean that some aftershocks may occur, which could also be widely felt across Colombian territory,” he said in a video posted on X.
Colombia’s disaster management agency UNGRD said there was no risk of a tsunami following the earthquakes.
“NO tsunami, NO danger from a recent earthquake,” the U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center said in an X post.
Venezuela, which is prone to seismic activity, experienced some of its strongest earthquakes in recent history in 1997 and 1967. A 1997 earthquake in the northeast killed 73 people, while the 1967 Caracas earthquake claimed 236 lives.
Shortly after the twin earthquakes in Venezuela, a separate 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck northern Japan, according to the country’s weather agency. No casualties or significant damage were reported.
