Rescuers race to find survivors as Venezuela reels from massive quakes: Everything we know so far

Rescuers race to find survivors as Venezuela reels from massive quakes: Everything we know so farByHarry SekulichPublished25 June 2026, 03:33 BSTUpdated 32 minutes agoByJoel GuintoTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.This video can not be playedFigure caption, Watch: Moment earthquake hits Venezuela and leaves buildings collapsedTwo powerful earthquakes shook the Venezuelan capital of Caracas seconds apart, with the second quake - a magnitude 7.5 - one of the strongest tremors to hit the South American country in a century. Buildings collapsed and residents rushed to the streets for safety as the quakes struck. Venezeula's interim president Delcy Rodríguez has declared a state of emergency and said airport, rail and transport services have been paused.There are fears of casualties and extensive damage but there is no information on either at this point. Rescuers are racing to find survivors who may be trapped under rubble. Here's what we know so far.Where and when did the quakes hit?Both earthquakes shook Venezuela's populous capital city of Caracas around 18:04 local time (22:04 GMT).The first was magnitude 7.2 and struck the state of Yaracuy, west of Caracas, at a depth of 22km, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS) monitoring agency. Thity-nine seconds later, a stronger magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck nearby at a depth of about 10km.The epicentres were both outside the capital, but were felt strongly across the city, with buildings shaking and some collapsing. Tremors were felt as far away as the Colombian capital Bogotá, more than 1,000 km (630 miles) away. More than 20 aftershocks have since been felt across Venezuela, largely affecting the country's northern coastline, including La Guaira, Aragua, Carabobo and Falcón.The quakes hit while the country was celebrating a national holiday, commemorating the 1821 Battle of Carabobo, a decisive victory by Venezuelan independence leader Simón Bolívar against the S...