Powerful twin earthquakes that shook Venezuela have killed at least 32 people and injured more than 700, Interim President Delcy Rodriguez said.
"At this time, we have received reports of 32 deaths" and "more than 700 injured," Rodriguez said in an address to the nation on Thursday, adding she did not yet have data on the "hardest-hit region" of La Guaira, located near the capital.
Late Wednesday, she declared a national state of emergency after a powerful sequence of earthquakes struck the country’s northern Caribbean coast, causing widespread damage and triggering tsunami warnings and advisories across the region.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the two earthquakes had "left a devastating number of deaths," without citing any official casualty figures.
"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 U.S.A. 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," he added.
The mainshock
Internet monitoring group NetBlocks reported that internet connectivity dropped sharply across Venezuela, including in the capital Caracas, after the earthquakes damaged power and telecom infrastructure in the country,
Network data showed a significant decline in connectivity following the two earthquakes that affected parts of the country’s infrastructure, NetBlocks said on X.
According to the latest technical data from the US Geological Survey (USGS), northern Venezuela was violently rocked by an extraordinary double-seismic sequence.
Seismologists confirmed that a massive 7.2 foreshock first struck near the municipality of San Felipe, the capital of Yaracuy state. Merely 40 seconds later, an even more catastrophic 7.5 mainshock occurred just southeast of Yumare.
The mainshock was the largest recorded earthquake to strike Venezuela and the strongest in over 125 years.
According to the USGS, the seismic event occurred at a depth of roughly 10 kilometres (6.2 miles), with its epicentre located just west of the coastal community of Moron. The violent tremors heavily shook the capital city of Caracas, causing the destruction of several buildings.
Earlier, Delcy Rodriguez also confirmed a major disruption to regional transit lines, saying Simon Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetia had been closed indefinitely due to severe and extensive infrastructure damage to its main terminals and operational runways.
Civil defence authorities are currently deploying to the hardest-hit areas near the epicentre to evaluate infrastructure damage.
Videos circulating on social media captured thick dust columns rising above commercial sectors in the capital as structures cracked and shed concrete facades. Emergency personnel are actively searching the damaged rubble for trapped or injured citizens.
‘Alarming situation’
Venezuela’s Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello confirmed to local media that the severe shaking triggered structural failures, causing houses and buildings to collapse.
“All security and emergency response agencies, including civil protection, volunteers, firefighters and police, are fully deployed on the scene,” Cabello said during a live broadcast on state television.
The minister highlighted a particularly “alarming situation” in the Altamira neighbourhood of Caracas, where multi-story residential units suffered partial collapses, leaving interior furniture visible from the street. Cabello urged residents across heavily impacted urban areas to stay clear of indoor spaces to prevent casualties from potential aftershocks.
“We recommend that you remain on the streets, watch over children and the elderly, and try to stay calm as rescue protocols are activated,” he added.
Amid mounting structural damage and localised blackouts, Rodriguez thanked the United Nations, multilateral organisations, and several foreign governments for expressions of solidarity and offers of humanitarian assistance.
She specifically thanked Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, Türkiye, Jordan, Barbados, Curacao and the United Kingdom for offering support, including structural search-and-rescue assistance.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva also said he instructed his country's Foreign Ministry to assess the situation in the country and the assistance measures that Brazil can take.
"I learned, with great concern and consternation, of the impacts caused by the earthquake that hit Venezuela this Wednesday," Lula said on X.
Lula reaffirmed Brazil's determination to support acting President Delcy Rodriguez's government in the recovery of affected areas of "this brother country."
A tsunami threat warning was issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) for the immediate coast of Venezuela as well as the neighbouring islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao.
A tsunami advisory was activated for Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands while authorities actively monitor coastal tide gauges for unusual wave activity.
