Back-to-Back Major Earthquakes Strike Venezuela, Killing Dozens

At least 32 people are dead and hundreds of others are injured after back-to-back major earthquakes struck Venezuela late last night.

The earthquakes, measured at 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale, had epicenters around 41 miles northwest of the major city of Valencia, which is home to over 1.8 million people.

The quakes occurred in an extremely rare, back-to-back fashion, with the second round of violent shaking beginning just one minute after the first. The 7.5-magnitude tremor is the strongest to hit Venezuela since 1900, when a massive 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck off the nation’s northern coast. Venezuela lies on a highly active tectonic plate boundary between the Caribbean and South American plates, leading to frequent earthquakes as the masses grind against each other.

At least 32 people were killed as buildings collapsed, roads gave way, and infrastructure crumbled, and more than 700 others have been injured. However, preliminary reports suggest that the death toll could be much, much more severe – as high as 10,000.

The shaking could be felt across the northern region of South America, with vibrations being reported as far as Bogotá, Colombia. The offshore island of Curaçao also confirmed that they had experienced mild tremors, but the most severe shaking took place near northern Venezuelan cities like Valencia, Barquisimeto, Maracay, and the capital of Caracas.

Power is still out in several regions of these cities, including much of western Caracas, and subways and trains have come to a halt as authorities attempt to bring electricity, gas, and water services back online. Some of the worst damage was reported at the capital’s Simón Bolívar International Airport. Search-and-rescue crews are also on the ground, sifting through the rubble of various destroyed structures to find any remaining survivors or bodies.

Unfortunately, a large portion of the infrastructure in rural regions – like those near the epicenter – is underfunded and aging, meaning that many locals still live in brick homes or mud dwellings connected by dirt roads. This lack of quake-proof infrastructure is likely to have led to hundreds of deaths, and the impacts on local communities could last for years.

As for right now, local authorities have instructed citizens to spend the night outdoors and stay vigilant for further quakes – multitudes of aftershocks usually follow strong earthquakes, often doing serious damage.

US President Donald Trump has confirmed that the country is currently mobilizing immediate assistance for Venezuelans, alongside others like Mexico, Qatar, India, Brazil, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, and various Caribbean nations.

The Global Snapshot for June 25, 2026:

• In addition to the severe earthquakes that hit Venezuela, a 6.9-magnitude quake also struck off the eastern coast of northern Japan yesterday night. However, the epicenter was located in the ocean, minimizing its impact on local communities – though, Japan frequently experiences such quakes, and most everyday infrastructure is designed to be earthquake-proof to protect citizens. No deaths or injuries have been reported.

  
  

• Russia is suffering from extreme gasoline and oil shortages as Ukraine works to cripple their local pipelines. A recent drone attack on a major Russian oil refinery has put the facility out of commission until next year, and airlines are reporting critical jet fuel shortages that are heavily affecting their ability to operate. Russia is now looking to import oil from other nations, but various countries still maintain severe sanctions on their economy due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

  
  

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Photo courtesy of Mohamad Safa via X