The death toll from two earthquakes in Venezuela has risen to 589, with thousands more injured, acting President Delcy Rodriguez has said. More than 50,000 people have been reported missing as international search, rescue, and relief efforts intensify.
Two major tremors measuring magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 by the US Geological Survey struck off Venezuela’s northern coast on Wednesday near the city of Moron and were felt across most of the country as well as in neighboring Colombia and several Caribbean islands.
The disaster, unlike anything the country has experienced in over a century, caused significant devastation, with entire building blocks collapsing, according to harrowing aerial footage. The coastal city of La Guaira was among the hardest hit.
Caracas has announced a nationwide state of emergency, deploying the armed forces, civil defense units, and emergency services. Several nations, including Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Cuba, India, Mexico, El Salvador, Türkiye, and the US, have announced sending teams to support the efforts. Washington also said it would lift some unilateral sanctions it had imposed on Venezuela to facilitate the humanitarian efforts.
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed condolences to Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, and said Moscow stands in solidarity with the “friendly Venezuelan people.” The Kremlin said Russia is ready to provide assistance if requested.
China also extended condolences and said it is ready to assist, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun expressing confidence that the Venezuelan people will overcome the disaster and rebuild. Other countries and international organizations, including France, Germany, Türkiye, Iran, the Vatican, the UN and the World Bank, have also pledged assistance or expressed support for relief efforts.
The US also offered assistance despite a history of tensions. President Donald Trump previously boasted that America had “taken over” the country’s oil sector after the abduction of President Nicolas Maduro during a commando raid in January.
The Venezuelan quakes came just hours before a separate magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit Japan’s northern prefectures of Aomori and Iwate, injuring at least eight people, mainly due to falling objects, according to the country’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency.
The deadliest earthquake in Venezuela’s recent history struck in 1967, killing around 300 people and injuring some 1,600 in Caracas. Another earthquake in the country’s northeast in 1997 killed at least 81 people.
26 June 2026
The death toll from the back-to-back earthquakes in Venezuela has risen to 589 people, with thousands more being injured, acting President Delcy Rodriguez has said.
“We are going to rescue the people who are trapped. We are working tirelessly on this task,” Rodriguez vowed.
An online registry has received reports of nearly 50,000 missing people since the earthquakes, as disruptions to telecommunications and internet services left many unable to contact relatives and friends. Many are using online platforms to search for those still unaccounted for.
Aerial footage from Venezuela showed widespread destruction caused by the twin earthquakes that struck the country on Wednesday.
India is sending two military transport aircraft to Venezuela carrying a field hospital and more than 35 tons of relief supplies, including medicines and medical equipment, Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar has said on social media.
More than 100 buildings have collapsed in La Guaira state, which was hit the hardest during the twin earthquakes that rocked Venezuela on Wednesday, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello has said.
According to Cabello, the heaviest destruction occurred in the state’s Caraballeda and Catia La Mar areas on the Caribbean Sea coast.
The survivors of the twin earthquakes in Venezuela have shared harrowing stories about the disaster; many of their relatives remain trapped under the rubble. “We have lost everything,” one said.
Türkiye will send two military aircraft with search-and-rescue teams and humanitarian aid to Venezuela, which was hit by two earthquakes earlier this week, the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) has said.
The first A-400M military aircraft will carry some 45 rescuers and medics, two search dogs and two units of specialized vehicles from Istanbul, Izmir and Denizli, it said.
The second plane will deliver a 22-member Humanitarian Aid Brigade team with its equipment to the country to Venezuela. Both aircraft will depart for Türkiye later on Friday, according to AFAD.
A video has emerged on social media showing a seemingly unharmed baby being extracted from the rubble after surviving two back-to-back earthquakes in Venezuela.
The US Treasury Department has said that it will be lifting some of Washington’s sanctions against Venezuela after it was hit by twin earthquakes.
“All transactions” with the country “related to earthquake relief efforts” will be allowed between June 26 and October 23, according to the agency’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
A video emerged from inside a passenger plane shaking on the tarmac at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetia when the earthquake struck.
The airport was heavily damaged and suspended operations on Wednesday.
25 June 2026
Acting President Delcy Rodríguez visited La Guaira, a city on Venezuela’s Caribbean coast that was among the hardest hit by the earthquake.
A bird’s-eye video shows flattened buildings in La Guaira.
The unofficial online database desaparecidosterremotovenezuela.com lists 45,527 people as missing, based on reports submitted by users searching for loved ones.
Mexico will dispatch 250 military personnel and five rescue dogs to Venezuela, President Claudia Sheinbaum said at a news conference. She added that the country would also send four aircraft carrying medical supplies and emergency equipment.
RT en Espanol posted a video showing a dog being rescued from the rubble.
The US has pledged $150 million in aid for Venezuela following the earthquakes, the State Department has announced.
The package includes $50 million for humanitarian organizations operating in the country and a $100 million contribution to a UN humanitarian fund, according to the department.
Video circulating on social media shows extensive destruction in Caracas’ Los Palos Grandes neighborhood following the twin earthquakes.
Collapsed buildings and debris can be seen scattered across the area as emergency crews continue rescue operations.
RT correspondent Jessica Sosa reports from Caracas, where part of the ceiling in her home collapsed during the earthquake, slightly injuring her young son.
She says growing numbers of people are searching for missing relatives as rescue efforts continue.
The World Bank Group has said it is in contact with Venezuelan authorities and is “assessing” possible support.
Video from Caracas shows long queues forming at fuel stations as residents rush to fill their tanks in the aftermath of the devastating earthquakes.
Sputnik’s correspondent reported that dozens of motorists and motorcyclists lined up to refuel across the Venezuelan capital.
Russia’s embassy in Venezuela has said it has received no reports of Russian citizens being killed or injured in the devastating earthquakes.
The embassy added that it remained in contact with the Russian community and the Venezuelan authorities as it continued to monitor the situation.
RT Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan has posted footage on X showing damage caused by the Caracas earthquake. She wrote that the children of an RT correspondent and cameraman were caught in the quake but were not seriously hurt.
Simonyan added that their home and that of an RT.com contributor were both badly damaged, and they were all being relocated to a hotel.
Heartwarming videos from Venezuela show rescue workers saving dogs from the earthquake-hit areas.
Emergency crews continue searching through collapsed buildings for survivors as rescue operations remain underway.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has discussed earthquake relief efforts in a phone call with his Venezuelan counterpart, Yvan Gil, according to Reuters, citing a Turkish Foreign Ministry source.
Fidan said Türkiye would continue to provide assistance and support to Venezuela, the source added.
Rescue teams continue to clear rubble and search for survivors after the twin earthquakes. Medical students have joined professional rescuers in the operation, helping emergency workers in the disaster-hit areas.
Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodriguez has traveled to La Guaira, the coastal state north of Caracas hardest hit by the earthquakes, according to National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez.
Speaking in a televised address, he said she was overseeing the response in what he described as a disaster zone affected by a catastrophe “of considerable magnitude,” adding that 250 buildings had been damaged or destroyed.
Video shared by World Central Kitchen shows the aftermath of the devastating earthquakes in the hardest-hit areas. The humanitarian organization said its teams were on the ground serving meals to affected families and first responders while expanding relief efforts with local partners.
Damage has also been reported in Valencia, Venezuela’s third-largest city, where the main cathedral has been closed after firefighters found cracks in both of its towers.
“Both towers of the Basilica Catedral de Valencia are fractured,” parish priest Joel de Jesus Nunez Flautes said, adding that the church would remain closed until further notice.
Venezuela plans to use reserve assets held at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to help finance reconstruction after the devastating earthquakes, Bloomberg has reported.
The country is expected to initially access around $200 million to rebuild damaged infrastructure, hospitals and housing, according to the outlet.
Video from Sputnik Mundo shows doctors treating earthquake victims at Dr. Jose Maria Vargas Hospital in La Guaira.
The US Department of War is ready to support “Washington’s response” to the Venezuelan earthquakes, spokesman Sean Parnell has said on X. He said US forces were prepared to “move quickly,” citing the military’s airlift, logistics, and operational capabilities.
The death toll from the devastating earthquakes has risen to at least 188, with 1,520 people injured, Venezuela’s top lawmaker, Jorge Rodriguez, has said according to media reports.
He said about 200 people remain trapped beneath the rubble.
Video shared by Spain’s El Pais shows extensive damage in La Guaira. The coastal state north of Caracas was among the areas hardest hit by the disaster.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said on X that the organization is “mobilizing assistance” for Venezuela following the devastating earthquakes.
Most of the country’s oil production facilities were largely unaffected by the twin earthquakes, according to media reports.
The Moron Petrochemical Complex near the epicenters sustained unspecified damage but was being restarted on Thursday, Reuters reported, while Chevron said its operations in the country were continuing as normal.
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil has thanked Russia for its solidarity following the devastating earthquakes.
Writing on X, Gil expressed his “most sincere gratitude” to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova for her message of support and said Caracas appreciated Russia’s offer of assistance and its commitment to maintaining constant communication during these “difficult times.”
Simon Bolivar International Airport, the country’s main airport serving Caracas, will remain closed until at least Friday due to earthquake damage, according to the Interior Ministry.
Acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez has announced special loans through public and private banks for people whose main source of income was disrupted by the earthquakes, according to state broadcaster VTV.
She also said a special financial allowance would be provided to workers left unemployed as a result of the disaster.
As emergency workers searched through the rubble of collapsed buildings in Caracas into the night, relatives waited for news of people feared trapped, Reuters reports.
“When we went downstairs, the scene was like a horror movie,” a resident told the agency, describing how neighbors climbed over the rubble to escape.
More than 100 buildings have collapsed in La Guaira, a coastal state north of Caracas that was hardest hit by the earthquakes, according to media reports citing the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Pope Leo XIV has sent €100,000 ($114,000) in emergency aid to Venezuela following the devastating earthquakes, AFP reports.
The funds will be provided through the Vatican’s apostolic almonry, the office responsible for the pontiff’s charitable assistance to people in need.
Security forces in the worst-affected areas of Caracas have reportedly asked residents to donate face masks and drinking water as rescue efforts continue.
Schools and other public buildings have been turned into collection centers, while the authorities have urged the public to remain calm and stay indoors if their homes are structurally sound.
A video circulating on X appears to show extensive earthquake damage in the coastal city of Maiquetia, north of Caracas.
The aerial footage captures damaged buildings in the area near Simon Bolivar International Airport, which remains closed following the powerful tremors.
Iran has extended condolences to Venezuela, with Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi writing on X that the Islamic Republic “stands in solidarity with Venezuelans and is ready to offer full assistance.”
EU leaders have expressed solidarity with Venezuela following the devastating earthquakes, with France, Germany, and Italy pledging assistance.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Paris was ready to act alongside its European partners and announced the immediate deployment of an 85-member search-and-rescue team. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also offered humanitarian aid.
Venezuela has thanked Russia for its solidarity following the devastating earthquakes, with the nation’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, writing on X: “We express our deep gratitude to Russian President Vladimir Putin.”
Video appears to show an elderly man shielding his wife inside their home as strong tremors shake the building.
He remains by her side, holding her hand as the woman cries out.
At least 164 people have been confirmed dead and 971 injured, Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, has said, according to AP.
A map shows the location of the twin earthquake epicenters north of the country’s Caribbean coast, near Caracas and Curacao.
The graphic illustrates how close the powerful tremors struck to the coastline, where some of the worst damage was reported.
Several Caracas residents have described the devastation to reporters, with one mother saying she saw her only daughter, a girl with a disability, trapped under the rubble and vowing she “won’t be at peace” until the child is found. Another survivor said “we lost everything,” while a woman on the ground floor of a damaged building called it “the strongest earthquake I have ever felt in my 43 years,” describing debris falling into her bathroom through a ventilation duct and “everything inside the house” breaking.
More harrowing videos from Venezuela circulating on social media show streets and buildings shaking violently, with walls cracking, ceilings collapsing, and panicked residents rushing outside amid clouds of dust.
Dramatic footage from Caracas shows the moment a building collapsed as the powerful tremors struck.
People can be seen fleeing through clouds of dust and helping one another as panic spreads through the street.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that American search-and-rescue teams from Fairfax County, Virginia and Los Angeles have already been deployed to Venezuela to help deal with the aftermath of the twin earthquakes. “There will be some others,” he added regarding the emergency responders.
“We are also helping them with some overhead imagery, especially in coastal areas where they don’t have full visibility over what the damage has been and what the impact has been,” Rubio said.
“Those are the acute short-term needs over the next 48 to 72 hours,” he stressed.
The Caracas Stock Exchange has said that it has suspended trading after Venezuela was hit by back-to-back earthquakes.
The country’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, said earlier that an initial fund of $200 million, using resources from the International Monetary Fund, would be used to rebuild infrastructure, hospitals, and housing destroyed in the disaster.
Russia stands ready to help earthquake-stricken Venezuela, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has stressed.
“If there are requests from our Venezuelan friends, they will, of course, be promptly considered,” he told journalists.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a message of condolence to Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, but there are currently no plans for the two leaders to hold a phone call, Peskov added.
Eight people were injured in Japan’s northern prefectures of Aomori and Iwate, mainly from falling or being hit by falling objects, after the country was hit by a 7.2 magnitude quake just hours after twin earthquakes rocked Venezuela, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency has said.
The earthquakes may turn out to be a test of US eagerness to actually support Venezuela after Washington kidnapped the Latin American country’s president, Nicolas Maduro, in January and claimed that it would “run” the country from now on.
Following the abduction, which US President Donald Trump described a “perfect” example of regime change, the Americans took control of Venezuela’s oil industry and crude exports.
Washington reacted to the quake by announcing that rescuers and humanitarian aid would be instantly deployed to Venezuela, but the amount of the US assistance to be provided remains unclear.
Trump insisted earlier this week that he was “getting along great” with Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, despite her denouncing the raid against Maduro and demanding his release. “The people running it [Venezuela], they’re our people, they’re great people. And the people are happy in the country,” he said.
The operation to capture Maduro lasted “exactly 48 minutes” and its cost has been paid for 28 times over through oil extraction, according to Trump.
Beijing extends its “sincere condolences” to Venezuela and stands ready to provide assistance, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun has said.
China is confident that, under the leadership of the government in Caracas, the Venezuelan people will overcome the disaster and swiftly rebuild their homes, Guo added.
The death toll from the back-to-back earthquakes in Venezuela has risen to 164 people, with 971 others injured, the country’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, has said in a televised address. The quakes have been followed by some 30 aftershocks, she added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed his “deepest condolences” to Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, over the back-to-back earthquakes that hit the country.
“Please convey my sincere condolences to the families and friends of the victims, as well as my best wishes for a speedy recovery to all those affected by the natural disaster,” Putin said in his message as cited by the Kremlin website.
“We express our solidarity and support to the friendly Venezuelan people during this difficult time,” he added.
Acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez has said that she has held a phone call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Rubio announced earlier that Washington would be sending rescuers and humanitarian aid to Venezuela to help it deal with the aftermath of the back-to-back earthquakes.
Argentina is ready to provide assistance to Venezuela after it was struck by two powerful earthquakes, the office of Argentinean President Javier Milei has said.
“Beyond any differences that may exist between our governments, President Javier Milei extends a hand of solidarity to the Venezuelan people in the face of a natural catastrophe that calls for a response from the entire international community,” the statement reads.
Milei applauded the US kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in early January on drug trafficking charges. He labeled Maduro “a dictator” and “an usurper of power,” claiming that his abduction was “excellent news for the free world.”
The Venezuelan government denounced the US raid as an illegal act of aggression and a violation of the country’s sovereignty, demanding the immediate release of Maduro and Flores.
A Venezuelan football commentator has published a video of himself continuing to cover a FIFA World Cup game despite his studio being shaken by the earthquake.
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares has held a phone call with his Venezuelan counterpart, Yvan Gil, expressing Madrid’s “full solidarity” after the two powerful earthquakes.
Spain has “offered all available assistance” to Venezuela through its Agency for International Development Cooperation and Military Emergencies Unit, a statement from the Foreign Ministry said. The ministers are expected to have another conversation later in the day to finalize the details of how the aid will be provided, it added.
Emergency crews have pulled a 14-year-old girl alive from the rubble of a collapsed building in Caracas.
A football player for the Venezuelan U20 national team, Yimvert Berroteran, is missing after the earthquake in the Los Corales area of La Guaira, local media have reported.
The US will be “immediately deploying search and rescue teams, medical resources, and humanitarian assistance to Venezuela,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said, adding that the aid will be provided on the instructions of President Donald Trump.
The US kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in early January on drug trafficking charges and seized control of the country’s oil industry and export sales.
The Venezuelan government denounced the US raid as an illegal act of aggression and a violation of the country’s sovereignty, demanding the immediate release of Maduro and Flores.
The powerful twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela on Wednesday were the strongest to hit the country in more than a century, according to historical seismic records. The back-to-back tremors, measuring magnitude 7.2 and 7.5, struck less than a minute apart near Venezuela’s Caribbean coast.
The previous earthquake of comparable strength was the 1900 San Narciso earthquake, estimated at magnitude 7.6–7.7, which devastated Venezuela’s north-central coast and triggered a tsunami.
People were seen fleeing buildings across Caracas after the powerful tremors, while another video shows a man documenting the devastation inside a partially collapsed apartment block.
A CCTV camera has captured the panic which erupted in the streets of Venezuela when it was hit by back-to-back earthquakes.
RT correspondent Yucsealis Rincon reports from Francisco de Miranda Avenue in Caracas, where thousands of residents remain outside amid fears of further aftershocks following the powerful earthquakes.
Countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have hurried to offer assistance to Venezuela after it was hit by two powerful earthquakes.
The president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, expressed readiness to send 300 rescuers and 50 tons of humanitarian aid.
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa announced an immediate delivery of humanitarian supplies to Caracas, while his Dominican counterpart, Luis Abinader, said his government would dispatch emergency response teams to Venezuela.
A full-scale rescue operation is currently ongoing in Caracas and other affected areas.
Utility services, including natural gas and electricity, have been disrupted by the disaster.
Survivors of Wednesday’s deadly earthquakes in Venezuela have spoken of panic, collapsing buildings and desperate searches for missing relatives as rescue teams continue working through the rubble.
Just hours after the quakes in Venezuela, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck off Japan’s northern coast, the country’s meteorological agency has said. There was no danger of a tsunami, the agency added.
The quake, which occurred during the morning rush hour, also mildly shook Tokyo, according to media reports.
There have so far been no reports of injuries or damage as a result of the earthquake, top government spokesman Minoru Kihara stressed.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who remains in US custody, has issued a statement calling for “national unity” in the face of the disaster.
“Our prayers are for the affected Venezuelan families… Our heart with all of Venezuela,” the statement read.
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were abducted in an American commando raid in Caracas in early January and later indicted by a Manhattan court on drug and firearms charges. They denied any wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty.
The Venezuelan government denounced the raid as an illegal act of aggression and a violation of the country’s sovereignty, demanding the immediate release of Maduro and Flores.
Heartwarming footage from Caracas shows a resident rescuing his dog from a damaged building after the devastating earthquakes.
US President Donald Trump has issued a statement on his Truth Social platform, saying that Washington “stands ready, willing and able to help” Venezuela to deal with the aftermath of the earthquakes.
Video from Venezuelan state broadcaster VTV shows rubble and debris inside its building.
Video shows deep cracks running through the walls of a building in Caracas after the powerful earthquakes.
Smoke rises over Caracas as twin powerful earthquakes strike northern Venezuela, causing widespread structural damage.
Several buildings, including residential apartment blocks, collapsed in the Los Palos Grandes and Altamira neighborhoods of Caracas, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said. Emergency services have been deployed to assess the damage and search for survivors.
Cabello added that the earthquakes were felt not only in the capital but also across the states of Aragua, Carabobo, La Guaira, Miranda, Trujillo and Yaracuy.
At least 32 people have been killed and more than 700 others wounded nationwide, according to acting President Delcy Rodriguez, who warned that the toll could climb as rescue teams continue working in the hard-hit coastal state of La Guaira.
Video footage shows people rushing out of Simon Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetia, near Caracas, as the earthquakes struck.