CARACAS — Two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela’s northern coast in rapid succession on the evening of June 24, killing at least 235 people, injuring more than 4,300 and leaving 157 others missing, according to official figures released on June 25.
The first tremor hit at around 18:04 local time (22:04 GMT) near Montalbán in Carabobo state, the United States Geological Survey reported. Its magnitude was initially measured at 7.2 before being revised to 7.1, with a focal depth of 10 kilometres. Less than a minute later a second quake, registered at magnitude 7.5, struck near Morón at a depth of 10 kilometres, its epicentre at 10.40°N, 68.32°W. The China Earthquake Networks Center placed the first event at magnitude 7.1.
Acting President Delcy Rodríguez declared a nationwide state of emergency in a televised address shortly after the tremors, suspending classes and non-essential activities for the remainder of the week and ordering all medical personnel to report for duty. She said the country had recorded at least 138 aftershocks by midday on June 25, and that an estimated 200 people remained trapped under rubble. At least 250 buildings have been damaged or destroyed, including eight hospitals, some of which have been evacuated, officials said.
The coastal region north of Caracas suffered the heaviest damage. Rodríguez identified La Guaira state as the worst-affected area, noting that the casualty figures released so far did not yet include that state. “La Guaira’s current situation is a true tragedy,” she told national television. Simón Bolívar International Airport at Maiquetía was closed due to severe structural damage, halting most commercial flights into the capital, and water supplies in parts of Miranda and La Guaira states were disrupted.
The U.S. Tsunami Warning System initially issued an alert for coastal areas within 300 kilometres of the epicentre, but the advisory was later lifted. The USGS placed the event on red alert, warning of extensive casualties and widespread destruction, with estimated economic losses ranging from 2 percent to 20 percent of Venezuela’s gross domestic product. Preliminary modelling indicated potential fatalities of between 10,000 and 100,000, though authorities cautioned that the figures were projections rather than confirmed counts and would be refined as field assessments progressed.
Rodríguez also announced an initial relief fund of 200 million U.S. dollars to rebuild damaged hospitals and provide housing for residents whose homes were destroyed. A special credit programme is to be opened for merchants, factory operators and other businesses that lost their primary source of income, she said.
The Office of the United Nations Secretary-General said in a statement that UN agencies in Venezuela were mobilising aid resources and that the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs was helping deploy urban search-and-rescue teams. Mexico, Brazil, Cuba, El Salvador, Ecuador, Uruguay, Bolivia and Qatar were among the governments that pledged or dispatched assistance. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she had instructed relevant agencies to prepare necessary support, while Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva asked his foreign ministry to evaluate possible aid through Brazil’s embassy in Caracas. China’s foreign ministry said Beijing was ready to provide help in line with Venezuela’s needs; the Chinese embassy in Caracas confirmed that two Chinese citizens died in the disaster.
The twin events are the strongest earthquakes recorded in Venezuela in more than a century. Analysts cited several factors that compounded the damage: the shallow focal depth concentrated seismic energy near the surface, repeated aftershocks weakened already compromised structures, and both epicentres lay close to densely populated areas. Rescue operations continued through the night of June 25, with heavy equipment dispatched to the worst-hit sites as residents gathered in open spaces and vehicles, wary of returning to damaged buildings.
