{"id":14985,"date":"2026-06-25T01:34:29","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T01:34:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news678.top\/?p=14985"},"modified":"2026-06-25T01:34:29","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T01:34:29","slug":"two-7-magnitude-earthquakes-strike-venezuela-heavy-damage-reported-in-caracas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news678.top\/?p=14985","title":{"rendered":"Two 7+ magnitude earthquakes strike Venezuela, heavy damage reported in Caracas"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A pair of earthquakes, the first measuring a magnitude of 7.2 and the second measuring 7.5, were reported Wednesday evening in northwest Venezuela, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. There were reports of heavy damage in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The first earthquake was centered 17.6 miles northwest of the Venezuelan town of Montalb\u00e1n, the USGS said, and struck at a depth of 8.2 miles. It was preliminarily reported as a 7.1 magnitude quake before being upgraded to a 7.2.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Less than one minute later, a second earthquake measuring at a magnitude of 7.5 struck just north of the first. It was centered about 21 miles northwest of Montalb\u00e1n.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“This earthquake was the second event in a doublet, this magnitude 7.5 mainshock was preceded just 39 seconds before by a 7.2 foreshock,” the USGS said.<\/p>\n

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Rescuers search for victims in a collapsed building following earthquakes in Caracas, Venezuela, on June 24, 2026.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Manaure Quintero \/AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

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The quakes are among the strongest to strike Venezuela in more than a century. \u00a0<\/p>\n

The earthquakes briefly triggered tsunami advisories in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, per the National Weather Service’s U.S. Tsunami Warning System. Those advisories were later canceled.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Rescue workers and municipal police officers work at the site of a collapsed building following an earthquake in Caracas, Venezuela on June 24, 2026.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Manaure QUINTERO \/AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

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“Based on all available data, there is a tsunami threat to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands of sea level fluctuations and strong ocean currents that could be a hazard along coasts, beaches, in harbors and in coastal waters,” the weather service had said initially.<\/p>\n

The possible extent of the damage and the injury toll of the earthquake was still unclear. Venezuela’s state-run television channel, Venezolana de Televisi\u00f3n, reported that the earthquake was felt across the country, including in Caracas, Venezuela’s largest city.\u00a0<\/p>\n

People evacuated swaying buildings in Caracas and remained outside, many visibly shocked as they saw entire walls that had collapsed, making furniture visible from the street. Dust columns could also be seen in two neighborhoods of the capital, where restaurants and other businesses are typically busy.<\/p>\n

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People walk amid debris after an earthquake in Caracas, Venezuela, on June 24, 2026.<\/span><\/p>\n

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AP Photo\/Ariana Cubillos<\/p>\n

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Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said the quake could be felt in several states, adding that the Altamira neighborhood in Caracas had “alarming situations” with collapsed homes and buildings. He urged people to remain outside as aftershocks could further damage some structures.<\/p>\n

“We understand that some people may be desperate, but we are acting according to protocols to activate aid and rescue efforts to help those who need it most,” Cabello said on state TV. “Be very careful with children and the elderly; call each other and check that no one has been harmed.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

He also urged people to remain outside as aftershocks could further damage some structures.<\/p>\n

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A collapsed building after an earthquake in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, June 24, 2026.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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AP Photo\/Adrian Naranjo<\/p>\n

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“It started off gently and then gradually grew, and in the end, we all had to leave our houses, go outside and gather together,” Caracas resident Hector Ricci said. \u00a0<\/p>\n

“The building really shook from side to side. Unreal. The force was incredibly strong,” Caracas resident Roberto Damas said. “We were walking and it was tossing us around. Everything in the apartment fell. Well, thank God we were able to get out.”<\/p>\n

Venezuela’s western neighbor, Colombia, said in a social media post that the earthquake had not sparked a tsunami threat to its Caribbean coastline.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Strong earthquakes are unusual in Venezuela.<\/p>\n

While the country sits near multiple fault lines, its position straddling the South American and Caribbean plates makes earthquakes much less common than in other parts of Latin America. Along the Pacific coast \u2014 in Mexico and Chile, for example \u2014 earthquakes are frequent. Those two countries sit along the seismically active tectonic belt known as the “Pacific Ring of Fire,” responsible for 90% of earthquakes, according to the USGS.<\/p>\n

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