Two earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 struck the same area of Venezuela on Wednesday evening, causing buildings to collapse, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and AFP journalists.
The quakes drove residents of the capital, Caracas, into the streets.
Here are live updates on this recent quake.
10:55am
Powerful twin earthquakes that shook Venezuela killed at least 32 people and injured more than 700, interim president Delcy Rodriguez said on Thursday.
"At this time, we have received reports of 32 deaths" and "more than 700 injured," Rodriguez said in an address to the nation, adding she did not yet have data on the "hardest-hit region" of La Guaira, located near the capital.
A man rescued from a collapsed building is attended to inside an ambulance after an earthquake, in Caracas, Venezuela, June 24, 2026. PHOTO: REUTERS10:20am
"High casualties and extensive damage are probable and the disaster is likely widespread," the USGS said, initially estimating the death toll would most likely range from 10,000 to 100,000.
Emergency services work at the site of a collapsed building after an earthquake in Caracas, Venezuela, June 24, 2026. PHOTO:REUTERS
Three people were killed in the Baruta district in Caracas after two buildings collapsed, the district mayor said on social media. One person was killed and four buildings had completely collapsed, Gustavo Duque, the mayor of Chacao district in Caracas told journalists. Twenty-two people had been moved to hospital.
“We have buildings, homes and houses which have collapsed and we are taking care of things with everything we have available in terms of security, civil assistance," Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said on state television.
Interim President Delcy Rodriguez said she would declare a state of emergency in the South American nation and request funds from multilateral organizations to back the recovery effort.
"We extend our condolences to those who have unfortunately suffered the loss of a family member," she said in a national address, without giving a national count for deaths or injuries.
US President Donald Trump said the US was ready, willing and able to help in the disaster.
10:15am
Trump says Venezuelan earthquakes caused a 'devastating number of deaths'
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the two earthquakes that hit Venezuela earlier in the day had "left a devastating number of deaths," without citing any official casualty figures.
View of a collapsed building following an earthquake in Caracas on June 24, 2026. PHOTO: AFP
"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," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
"The USA stands ready, willing, and able to help! I have instructed all agencies of our government to get ready to move quickly. We will be there for our new and great friends. Early reports are not good."
10:10am
Venezuela declares state of emergency after powerful twin quakes
Venezuela's interim leader declared a state of emergency Wednesday as two massive earthquakes caused buildings in the capital to crumble and forced the closure of the country's main airport, prompting US President Donald Trump to offer aid.
10:00am
Hospitals brace for the injured
Fire trucks were seen on the streets of Caracas, where some buildings suffered significant facade damage.
At Caracas' Hospital de Clinicas, staff were asked to double up on the night shift to help treat the injured, a worker there said.
Venezuela's largest airport, in Maiquetia on the coast north of Caracas, was closed due to damages, Rodriguez said.
Classes were cancelled for the rest of the week as authorities began to take stock of the damage.
Venezuela's oil infrastructure did not immediately appear to be affected by the tremors, as almost none of the cities with official reports of severe damage include critical oil infrastructure. Civil protection authorities in Maracaibo, near the large oil hub of Lake Maracaibo, said there were no injuries reported.
9:45am
Residents rushed into the streets
Many Venezuelans were at home when the quakes struck during a public holiday.
"There was a very loud crash. Things fell in the house, jugs inside the refrigerator. I've never experienced anything like it," said Coro Martinez, 56, who lives in eastern Caracas.
People gather on a street following an earthquake in Valencia, Venezuela on June 24, 2026. PHOTO: AFP
Residents across Caracas, which was also hit by a deadly magnitude 6.3 earthquake in 1967, rushed to evacuate as buildings shook.
"As soon as it started, we began hearing people screaming," said Astrid Ramirez, a 41-year-old publicist in western Caracas. "Everyone was running down the stairs."
Maria Romero, an 80-year-old pensioner in southern Caracas, said police helped her get out of her home. "This earthquake was horrible, even worse than the one in 1967," she said.
Another resident, a 41-year-old office worker who declined to be named, said she received an earthquake alert on her phone just before the shaking intensified.
"As I picked it up and started listening to what it was saying, I first felt light shaking. Then, in less than two seconds, everything started moving."
9:30am
Mothers search, men weep amid debris of Venezuela quakes
"Antonio, it's your mom, I'm right here," a mother's desperate cries bounced off the rubble of a 22-story building in Caracas that collapsed following two powerful earthquakes in Venezuela on Wednesday.
Neighbors looked on helplessly at the home's remains as one of them clambered around the debris, listening out for responses but hearing only silence.
"We need flashlights," said one of the improvised volunteers, with just one police officer accompanying the group as they waited for rescue workers to arrive.
Emergency services work at the site of a collapsed building after a strong earthquake, in Caracas, Venezuela, June 24. Photo: Reuters
"Tania, Tania," another name echoed around the devastated site, which was part of the Petunia residential complex in the well-to-do Los Palos Grandes neighborhood that normally bustles with restaurants and cafes.
One man wept quietly in the street.
At around 6pm local time (2200GMT), two earthquakes struck the same part of Venezuela in quick succession.
The tremors of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), caused buildings to crumble across the capital, scattering their inhabitants out into the streets.
Twenty aftershocks followed, according to interim leader Delcy Rodriguez, while Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said the states of Trujillo, Carabobo, Miranda and La Guaira were the hardest hit.
It remains unknown if there were any fatalities, and although Cabello reported injuries, he did not specify a number.
The strongest tremors in earthquake-prone Venezuela's recent history occurred in the northeast in 1997, killing 73 people, and in Caracas in 1967, when 236 people died.
Los Palos Grandes suffered terribly in the 1967 quake too, with entire buildings also collapsing during that incident.
'Deep roar'
Just a few blocks away, people exiting a shopping center were in a state of shock.
"The stairs came away, the whole wall cracked. Things fell from the ceiling. It was horrible," said 54-year-old bank employee Odalis Escalona.
Zenia Gonzalez, 52, comforted a teenage girl still in tears.
"We waited for it to pass and then ran down the escalator," Gonzalez told AFP.
"We had to wait because it was shaking too much. It lasted a long time," she added.
Panicked screams had filled the air as people scrambled out of the building.
In the nearby neighborhood of La Castellana, Maria Romero also fled her apartment in a hurry.
"It was moving a lot and sounded like a deep roar," the 48-year-old engineer told AFP, adding that she had initially dithered about what to do.
"For a second I thought about getting under the table, but I decided to get out," she said.
Buildings across the city were destroyed, while Rodriguez announced a state of emergency and declared the country's main airport closed due to "severe damage" following the quakes.
Shortly after Venezuela's twin tremors, another powerful earthquake hit northern Japan, the country's weather agency said, with no casualties or material damage reported.
