A state of emergency has been declared across Venezuela after successive quakes with magnitudes above 7 struck the country on Wednesday evening, causing widespread damage and triggering tsunami warnings.
In a brief broadcast, acting President Delcy Rodríguez said several states across the Latin American country had been severely hit, including the capital, Caracas, where she reported that buildings had collapsed. At least 188 people have died, over 200 are trapped, 157 are reported missing, and over 1,500 have been admitted to hospitals with injuries, National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez said in a press conference on Thursday just before 2 p.m. local time. The legislative leader also said that 250 buildings have been affected by the quakes, primarily in the state of La Guaira, and that a fund of $200 million had been established for those whose homes were damaged. Officials fear the casualty numbers could rise as rescue efforts continue.
The U.S. Geological Survey says that “high casualties and extensive damage” are expected from the two quakes that struck during a public holiday commemorating an 1821 military victory which helped secure Venezuela’s independence from the Spanish Empire.
According to USGS data, the first quake, a magnitude 7.2 with a depth of 20.3 km (12.6 mi), struck at around 6:04 p.m. local time. Its epicenter was about 176 km (109 miles) west of Caracas.
Less than a minute later, at 6:05, a stronger magnitude 7.5 quake occurred, with its epicenter some 6.2 km (3.8 mi) east of the prior quake, about 33 km (18.9 mi) away from Venezuela’s Caribbean coastal town of Morón. The second quake had a depth of 10 km (6.2 mi).
Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said in a statement that various state security and assistance agencies are responding to the situation. The country’s education ministry suspended classes nationwide, and schools will be used as shelters for affected families and collection centers.
The Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía, La Guaira, was also closed after suffering damage. Video from NBC 6 showed passengers scrambling for safety in the airport during the quake.
Read More: Photos Show the Destruction in Venezuela From Twin Earthquakes
The U.S. on Thursday pledged $150 million in humanitarian aid and to send a Disaster Relief Assistance Response Team (DART) to Venezuela, according to the State Department.
Also on Thursday, The International Rescue Committee (IRC) announced an emergency response, “including the distribution of essential relief items and emergency medical supplies to frontline workers in the most affected areas.” The IRC added that “rescue and recovery efforts may take weeks if not months.”
“What we are seeing is catastrophic,” said Nicole Kast, IRC Venezuela Country Director. “People have lost everything in a matter of seconds, and the need for immediate support is overwhelming … We are working to get supplies to frontline workers as fast as possible so that lives can be saved.”
The strongest in more than a century
The two quakes occurred within a short time and distance from each other, a phenomenon known as an earthquake doublet. The second tremor, which was magnitude 7.5, was the strongest to hit Venezuela or its immediate coastal area in more than a century, according to the USGS catalog.
A magnitude 7.7 quake shook the country in 1900, with an epicenter near the country’s Caribbean coast. This so-called San Narciso Earthquake hit Caracas in the early morning and dealt extensive damage to churches, buildings, and homes. The USGS catalog said 21 people died and more than 50 were injured.
That 1900 quake also triggered a nearby tsunami and was followed by more than 250 aftershocks in the following months.
A New York Times report on the 1900 quake weeks later said that some 300 buildings collapsed, government buildings were damaged, and a “large part” of the population had lived in tents after.
Venezuela lies in a seismically active zone, where the Caribbean Plate and the South American Plate converge. According to the USGS, the magnitude 7.5 quake occurred “as a result of shallow strike-slip faulting near the complex plate boundary” between the two plates. Strike-slip faulting refers to the fractures on the Earth’s crust moving side to side.
Because of this, northern Venezuela is no stranger to large, damaging quakes, including those with a magnitude of 7 or higher. One of the deadliest known quakes was the devastating Caracas quake of 1812, which claimed an estimated 30,000 lives, and while the exact magnitude of that historic quake is unknown, it’s estimated to be around 7.7, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information.
Quakes above magnitude 7 in the region have also been recorded in the modern era, including a magnitude 7.3 one on Aug. 21, 2018, and a magnitude 7 one on July 9, 1997.
Promises of support pour in
As authorities assess the total damage from the Wednesday quakes and conduct rescue operations, key figures have extended their messages of support.
María Corina Machado, the country’s exiled opposition leader and 2025 Nobel Peace Prize recipient, posted on social media that she was praying for Venezuelans. “May strength, serenity, and solidarity prevail among us in the face of this difficult moment,” Machado wrote.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who has backed Delcy Rodríguez’s rule after forcibly ousting President Nicolás Maduro and who once said that he plans to run the South American nation, posted on Truth Social that “the U.S.A. stands ready, willing, and able to help” and that he has instructed American government agencies “to get ready to move quickly. We will be there for our new and great friends. Early reports are not good!!!”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted that his department is “immediately deploying” search and rescue teams, medical resources, and humanitarian assistance to Venezuela.
During a press conference Thursday morning, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she would be deploying rescuers and health workers to aid in Venezuela’s recovery efforts.
“Our solidarity with the people of Venezuela. Today, a team from the Secretariat of National Defense of rescuers and health personnel is departing,” Sheinbaum said, confirming that aid is already en route and said that the need for further assistance would be decided soon.
“Once they are there and have spoken with the authorities, we will determine tomorrow any additional personnel needed in order to always help the peoples who need it,” she stated. She earlier had posted on her X account that “Mexico is always and will be in solidarity.”
Rodríguez expressed Venezuela’s “profound gratitude” to Russian President Vladimir Putin for a message in which he extended his “deepest condolences” and wished the Latin American country a “speedy recovery.”
She also wrote on her X account that she had spoken on the phone with French President Emmanuel Macron, who she said offered his “assistance with rescuers and specialized personnel in this type of emergency.”
“Venezuela is grateful,” she wrote.
Qatari leader Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani “immediately” offered his support for Venezuela over the phone, according to another post from Rodríguez.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also offered “the most heartfelt solidarity and closeness to the Venezuelan authorities and population” in a post, in response to which Rodríguez expressed her gratitude.
The leaders of several more of Venezuela’s Latin American neighbors have also expressed solidarity. El Salvador President Nayib Bukele posted that the country has offered assistance to Venezuela, including “300 rescuers and paramedics, along with 50 tons of equipment, medicines, and essential supplies” that were “ready to depart for Caracas.”
Brazil’s President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, posted that he has instructed the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs “to assess, together with the Brazilian Embassy in Caracas, the situation in the country and the measures of assistance that Brazil can adopt,” and reaffirmed his support for Rodríguez’s government in helping affected areas of Venezuela recover.
Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa similarly promised humanitarian aid, saying that “Ecuador will respond with the speed and commitment that this moment demands.”
Colombia’s conservative President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella also took to social media to express support for Venezuela, saying: “Colombia accompanies you in this difficult hour with affection, respect, and hope.”
Rodríguez additionally expressed her thanks in response to similar messages from leaders in Paraguay, Serbia, Turkey, Guyana, and Burundi.
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