Venezuela earthquakes kill at least 188 as U.S. sends rescue teams

A rare pair of powerful earthquakes off Venezuela’s northern coast left at least 188 people dead and nearly 1,500 injured, while U.S. rescue teams headed in to help search damaged areas. The two shocks, measured at about magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 and separated by roughly 39 seconds, turned a single seismic event into a prolonged emergency for responders, inspectors and hospitals.

Experts described the sequence as a doublet earthquake, meaning two major ruptures hit in quick succession. That pattern can worsen destruction because the first quake weakens buildings, bridges and roads, then the second one hits before crews can fully assess the damage. It also complicates aftershock warnings and rescue work, since teams must keep re-entering unstable structures while the ground remains active. The U.S. Geological Survey issued red PAGER alerts for both earthquakes, a warning level tied to the probability of high fatalities and extensive damage.

The State Department said the Trump administration was mobilizing immediate, life-saving assistance, including search and rescue teams and significant financial aid. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he spoke the morning of June 25 with Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s acting president, and that search and rescue was the immediate priority. Teams were being deployed from Fairfax County, Virginia, and Los Angeles, and the United States was coordinating with interim Venezuelan authorities as part of a government-wide response.

For Americans in Venezuela, the State Department’s travel guidance underscores how quickly conditions can change after a major disruption, especially when roads, communications and emergency services are under strain. That also affects humanitarian access, because the same damage that traps survivors can slow the movement of doctors, supplies and heavy rescue equipment into the hardest-hit areas.

Venezuelan officials said the death toll had climbed to at least 188 nationwide, with nearly 1,500 people injured, and warned the count would likely rise. The disaster has also renewed concern about whether a similar multi-fault rupture could strike elsewhere, including California, where scientists have long studied the risk of large earthquakes breaking more than one fault in quick succession.