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Two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday evening.
Last Updated: June 25, 2026, 5:52 AM EDT
Dozens of people were killed and hundreds of others were injured as a pair of powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday evening, acting President Delcy Rodriguez said in a televised address.
The two quakes -- a 7.2 magnitude one followed just seconds later by a 7.5 -- struck the coast of Venezuela, knocking down buildings in Caracas, the capital, and sending residents racing into the street.
Emergency responders were undertaking "intensive rescue operations" early on Thursday, searching for people thought to be under the rubble, Rodriguez said.
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Rescue efforts underway after 2 strong quakes hit Venezuela
Emergency crews were searching early on Thursday through rubble in Venezuela for potential survivors after two strong quakes struck on Wednesday evening.
Acting President Delcy Rodriguez said she had declared a state of emergency, saying the quakes had turned at least one area -- the state of La Guaira -- to a "disaster zone."
Fanny Nasri waits at the site of a collapsed building as emergency workers search for her son, Antonio Nasri, alongside Noemi Cordoba, who awaits news of her granddaughter, after an earthquake in Caracas, Venezuela, June 25, 2026.
Gaby Oraa/Reuters
"Dozens of buildings have collapsed there, about 30 kilometers north of Caracas, and we are currently carrying out intensive rescue operations to save lives," she said during a televised address, according to The Associated Press.
People stand in the rubble near a damaged building following an earthquake in Catia La Mar, La Guaira State, some 30kms north-west of Caracas, early on June 25, 2026.
Federico Parra/AFP via Getty Images
She said there was severe damage in the capital Caracas and other areas in the aftermath of the quakes.
Rodriguez said her office received reports of at least 32 deaths and more than 700 injuries.
