Venezuela death toll surges to 1,400 as crews continue search after back-to-back earthquakes
A pair of strong earthquakes struck Venezuela Wednesday evening, causing hundreds of buildings to collapse. More than 1,400 people have died, thousands are injured and more are missing.
Rescue crews and residents search for survivors Thursday after earthquakes of 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude struck Venezuela Wednesday evening, killing at least 164 people and collapsing buildings.
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck near San Felipe, Venezuela, on Wednesday afternoon, quickly followed by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake, causing widespread damage as the death toll continued to rise.
Acting President of Venezuela Delcy Rodríguez has declared a state of emergency, with extensive damage across the country, including in the capital city of Caracas. The Caracas International Airport sustained major damage and remains closed.
The death toll continues to rise, as search-and-rescue efforts continue and many remain missing. At least 1,400 people have died and more than 3,000 are injured, according to Venezuela officials.
Venezuela government officials have said hundreds are missing, however, Reuters reports 55,000 are listed missing on a website promoted by the country's opposition.
People look at a wall with photos and lists of names of missing people at Parque Ali Primera after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Venezuela and other regions in the Caribbean on June 27, 2026 in Caracas, Venezuela. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the main earthquake was followed by a 7.5-magnitude aftershock less than a minute later. (Photo by Jesus Vargas/Getty Images)
Hundreds of buildings have collapsed with the greatest damage in the coastal state of La Guaira. Experts warn additional collapses are possible due to older building codes in Venezuela.
Images coming out of Venezuela show buildings turned into piles of rubble as locals and search-and-rescue crews search for survivors and victims.
Vantor satellite image shows collapsed apartment buildings and widespread earthquake damage in the Playa Grande neighborhood of La Guaira. (Credit: Satellite image (c) 2026 Vantor.)
"When we talk about the effects of earthquakes, we say, you know, it's not the shaking that kills people, it's buildings that kill people, and it's really the collapse of those buildings that can lead to the catastrophic loss of life," USGS Research Geophysicist William Yeck said.
Tsunami advisories were issued for coasts within 300 km of the epicenter, including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, after the quakes, but those were dropped a few hours later.
Governments from around the world have offered financial aid and boots on the ground, including the U.S.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters the U.S. is deploying search-and-rescue teams from Fairfax County, Virginia, and Los Angeles to aid in the search for victims. The U.S. State Department will provide $150 million in aid.
People stand before damaged homes following an earthquake in Catia La Mar, La Guaira state, some 30km north-west of Caracas, on June 25, 2026. A twin earthquake that was Venezuela's largest in over a century has killed at least 164 people and destroyed multiple buildings near the capital, where residents searched on June 25 for missing relatives. (Photo by Federico PARRA / AFP via Getty Images)
After the quakes, residents in fear of further collapse camped outside across Caracas overnight, bringing tents and chairs into local parks.
"The types of buildings that will exhibit the damage are the concrete structures of vulnerable buildings that were likely built toward older versions of the building code that they use there in Venezuela," Structural Engineer Kenneth O'Dell said.
A woman sleeps next to her dog in a square following an earthquake in Caracas, Venezuela, on June 25, 2026. (Photo by Manaure QUINTERO / AFP via Getty Images)
Caracas-based journalist Tony Frangie Mawad told CNN he was in the elevator in his building heading to watch a World Cup 2026 match when the first quake hit.
“The elevator started to shake from side to side really strongly and go all the way down on a very quick pace,” Frangie said. “At first, I thought it was just malfunctioning, but my friend was like, ‘No, it's, this is clearly a sort of earthquake.’”
Venezuela's strongest earthquakes in more than a century
A USGS map showing earthquakes of magnitude 7.5 or greater from 1800 to 2026, with the June 24, 2026, earthquake in Venezuela marked in orange and the 1900 magnitude 7.7 quake marked in blue.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the magnitude 7.5 earthquake was the largest in Venezuela since Oct. 29, 1900, when a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck northeast of Caracas, near the coast. In recent years, the country faced a magnitude 7.3 earthquake near Carúpano on Aug. 21, 2018.
While powerful earthquakes of magnitude 7.5 or greater have struck the Caribbean, most have been concentrated along the northern and western edges of the Caribbean tectonic plate boundary.
The USGS said the twin quakes are what is known as a "doublet," when two major earthquakes strike in succession.
People ran as parts of the Simon Bolivar International Airport collapsed around them during a major earthquake on June 24.
