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4w ago

Two Massive Earthquakes Strike Venezuela, Hundreds Reported Dead

The government declared a national state of emergency as rescue teams search collapsed buildings, with officials saying casualty counts are provisional, an automated USGS model projecting a far higher possible toll.

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Overview

  • Two shallow, powerful quakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 hit Venezuela less than a minute apart on Wednesday night, June 24, producing intense shaking and many strong aftershocks.
  • Venezuelan officials reported at least 164 confirmed deaths and 971 injured with later local updates citing 188 fatalities as search-and-rescue operations continue in damaged areas.
  • The state of La Guaira was declared a disaster zone after dozens of buildings collapsed, parts of Caracas showed severe structural damage, and Simón Bolívar (Maiquetía) airport suffered damage while gas and power were shut off in places.
  • Authorities suspended non‑essential services, mobilized hundreds of emergency teams for rescue work, and reported that foreign search-and-rescue and humanitarian aid from countries including the United States and regional partners were being mobilized.
  • The USGS’s automated impact model gave a preliminary projection of 10,000–100,000 possible deaths but officials stress that the model is an early estimate and not a confirmed toll, a gap that will determine the scale of aid, reconstruction and longer-term recovery in this tectonically active region with a history of destructive quakes.