Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodriguez on Wednesday declared a state of emergency after strong back-to-back earthquakes and nearly two dozen aftershocks shook the country, collapsing buildings in capital Caracas and elsewhere.

Rodriguez, appearing on state television flanked by her brother Jorge, the head of the national assembly, and Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, said she extended her condolences to the families of those killed, but she gave no death toll or number of injured.

Simon Bolivar Airport in Maiquetia, near Caracas, is closed because of damage, she added.

A magnitude 7.2 tremor struck about 160 km west of Caracas, with a magnitude 7.5 quake hitting less than a minute later, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

"High casualties and extensive damage are probable and the disaster is likely widespread," the USGS said, with an initial death toll estimate likely between 10,000 and 100,000.

Authorities did not immediately provide a national toll for deaths or injuries, but local officials and witnesses reported collapsed buildings, rescues and a growing number of injured.

“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," Cabello said on state television. "The fire department, police all have been activated.”

Video footage showed emergency workers climbing through the ruins of a collapsed building in the capital as night fell, while distraught relatives sought help for loved ones believed to be trapped.

In Chacao, an eastern Caracas municipality, Mayor Gustavo Duque told broadcaster Globovision that two structures had collapsed, 16 people were injured and there were deaths, though he gave no figure for fatalities.

"We're going to do everything we can to rescue the most people possible," he said.

Many Venezuelans were at home when the quakes struck during a public holiday marking an 1821 military victory that helped secure the country's independence from Spain.

"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."

Residents across Caracas, which was also hit by a deadly magnitude 6.3 earthquake in 1967, rushed to evacuate as buildings shook.

"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.

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.

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. Video filmed at the hospital showed a darkened hallway with ceiling panels hanging by cables and pieces of plaster scattered across the floor.

Other videos on social media appeared to show significant damage at Venezuela's main airport, while residents reported collapsed buildings in La Guaira, a coastal city near Caracas.

Some municipalities of Caracas cancelled classes and local events through Monday, as authorities began to take stock of the damage.

The US Tsunami Warning System issued a tsunami threat for Puerto Rico and the US and British Virgin Islands after the earthquake, and said hazardous waves could also affect Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire. The warning was withdrawn about an hour later.

Venezuela lies in a seismically active zone where the Caribbean Plate meets the South American Plate.

An estimated 30,000 people were killed when a powerful quake caused widespread destruction in the cities of Merida and Caracas in 1812, according to the USGS. (Reuters)
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Last updated: 2026-06-25 HKT 10:08




Edited by Cecil Wong