Death toll rises as Venezuela earthquakes trap hundreds under rubble

Rescue crews kept digging through collapsed buildings in La Guaira and Caracas on Friday as Venezuela’s death toll from twin earthquakes climbed to at least 188, with hundreds still trapped under rubble and many more unaccounted for. The back-to-back quakes, a magnitude 7.2 followed about 39 seconds later by a magnitude 7.5 tremor, struck on Wednesday, June 24, and immediately overwhelmed emergency workers in the capital region.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs’ first official situation update counted more than 20 aftershocks and set the preliminary toll at 32 dead and more than 700 injured. Later updates put the toll at no fewer than 188 dead and more than 1,500 injured, as officials and aid groups raced to assess damage across Caracas, La Guaira and nearby areas. The earthquakes were among the strongest to hit Venezuela in more than a century.

La Guaira, north of Caracas, emerged as the hardest-hit state. Multiple buildings collapsed there, and the Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía was damaged or closed, further complicating rescue logistics. Metro and rail services were also suspended, leaving responders to rely on diverted resources from other parts of the country as the state of emergency expanded nationwide.

In Caracas, relatives and survivors searched frantically for missing family members as the critical first 48 hours after the collapse passed. Residents pleaded for heavier machinery to clear the debris.

The July 29, 1967 Caracas earthquake badly damaged the capital, and the March 26, 1812 quake remains the deadliest in Venezuelan history. International rescue teams and foreign aid offers, including from the United States and regional partners, were being coordinated as emergency services shifted what capacity they had toward the disaster zone.