Two very powerful earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), struck Venezuela one after the other yesterday, Wednesday, causing many buildings to collapse and panic among residents in the capital, Caracas.

No official casualty toll has been announced so far.

Acting President Delcy Rodríguez declared a state of emergency, also announcing that the international airport serving the capital suffered severe damage and its operations have been suspended until further notice. Ms. Rodríguez expressed her condolences to the families of those who lost their lives, though she refrained from giving any figures on the number of dead or injured.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) estimates that thousands could have lost their lives or been severely injured in tonight’s double earthquakes in Venezuela.

The first quake had a magnitude of 7.1 and was swiftly followed by a 7.5-magnitude earthquake. pic.twitter.com/kEg9ZCjFMe

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Authorities have suspended school and railway operations, according to the acting president.

According to USGS data, the first tremor—described as a “foreshock”—measured 7.2 on the Richter scale and was recorded at 6:04 p.m. (local time; 01:04 Cyprus time) at a depth of 21.9 kilometers, about 200 kilometers west of Caracas. The second, measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale, with a shallow focal depth of 10 kilometers, followed 39 seconds later, 45 kilometers from there. About 20 strong aftershocks were then recorded.

Horrific images coming out of Venezuela tonight pic.twitter.com/4137VO8XAj

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) June 25, 2026

The USGS warned that this “double” earthquake poses a risk of causing “widespread” destruction and “thousands” of deaths.

In Caracas, Agence France-Presse photographers observed search and rescue efforts being organized around collapsed buildings. Rescuers were pulling people from the rubble onto stretchers, while others were transporting them to ambulances.

An AFP correspondent saw a 22-story apartment building that had collapsed and been completely destroyed in the Altamira neighborhood. Outside, people were shouting out the names of their loved ones, while some volunteers were climbing through the rubble. “We need flashlights,” one shouted as darkness fell.

Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello confirmed that buildings had collapsed in the capital and added that he had ordered the natural gas supply to be cut off.

“Some structures have been damaged, and we want to prevent any gas-related accidents,” he explained. He mentioned that there were injuries, but he, too, has not yet provided a tally.

The situation remains unclear in the cities of Puerto Cabello and San Felipe, closer to the epicenter, where more than 400,000 people live.

“Unbelievable”

Many panicked residents rushed out into the streets. They stayed there overnight, afraid to return for fear that houses and other buildings would collapse if there were more aftershocks.

“It was unbelievable; I don’t even know how long it lasted. I was on the top floor and things started falling,” said Heidi Romero, a 42-year-old store manager who works at a shopping center in Altamira.

WATCH: Magnitude 7.1 earthquake destroys apartment building in Caracas, Venezuela. Number of casualties unknown. pic.twitter.com/eTVroUH5St

— BNO News Live (@BNODesk) June 24, 2026

“The entire wall was covered in cracks, things were falling from the ceiling—it was horrific,” said Odalis Escalona, a 54-year-old bank employee.

Power outages were reported in the capital, where many streets were littered with broken glass.

Carmen Gedes, 69, was in her bedridden sister’s room when the ground began to shake.

“The intensity just kept increasing,” said the resident of a middle-class neighborhood in the hills of the capital.

“I started to see the windows shaking, then everything was shaking. My sister, a neighbor, and I were clinging to each other; we couldn’t get outside,” she added.

Utter devastation seen across the northern Venezuelan coastal city of La Guaira, following tonight’s pair of major earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale, with an epicenter just west of Caracas. pic.twitter.com/BQv4YixUiB

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) June 25, 2026

Airport Closed

Simón Bolívar International Airport, in Maquetía, La Guaira, about 40 kilometers from Caracas, has been closed “due to severe damage,” Acting President Rodríguez said in her address.

Images released by Congressman Wilmer Asuaje show sections of the roof having collapsed in an airport terminal and people running away in panic.

The tremors were particularly strong in neighboring Colombia, whose capital, Bogotá, is 1,000 kilometers away from Caracas as the crow flies. According to the country’s risk and disaster management agency, “there is no risk of a tsunami along Colombia’s Caribbean coast.”

BREAKING: Multiple structures have reportedly collapsed in Caracas, Venezuela, following a powerful earthquake that struck the region. pic.twitter.com/9KSN4srhwB

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) June 24, 2026

The U.S. tsunami early warning system, for its part, warned of a threat of potentially destructive waves hitting Puerto Rico, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, as well as islands off the coast of Venezuela (Aruba, Curaçao, Bonaire). It withdrew the warning about an hour later.

Source: protothema.gr