DEATH TOLL IN VENEZUELA CONTINUES TO RISE: Confirmed at least 235 dead, more than 4,300 people injured!

At least 235 people have died and 4,300 have been injured in devastating earthquakes in Venezuela, while rescuers have been searching the rubble for 24 hours in a rush to save the lives of those trapped.

In Caracas and the nearby coastal city of La Guaira, people could be heard calling for help from beneath the rubble of collapsed buildings.

In less than 60 seconds, two strong earthquakes struck the area near the capital Caracas on the afternoon of June 23, local time.

First, a magnitude 7.2 quake was recorded, followed by a 7.5 magnitude quake west of Caracas.

The second earthquake was one of the strongest to hit the South American country in the last hundred years.

There are fears that many more people have died, while others have been left without shelter or are afraid to remain in damaged, unsafe buildings and are sleeping in the streets after the disaster.

The United States Geological Survey estimates that the death toll could reach thousands.

United States President Donald Trump, in a post on his Truth Social platform shortly after the earthquake, mentioned a “devastating death toll.”

The earthquakes occurred on a national holiday in Venezuela, meaning more people were at home than during a regular working day.

Imágenes aéreas de La Guaira. Terremoto en #Venezuela. No para de sorprender tanta tragedia. 🚨🆘‼️ pic.twitter.com/8tV85HNrle
— Cristian Crespo F. 🇨🇺 (@cristiancrespoj) June 25, 2026

Both earthquakes were shallow – the first had an epicenter 20.3 kilometers below the surface, and the second at a depth of 10 kilometers, according to USGS data.

This is a rare phenomenon known as a “doublet,” or double earthquake, US geological experts explain.

At least 138 aftershocks were recorded following the two earthquakes.

This was one of the worst earthquakes in Venezuela’s history.

The last similarly devastating earthquake was recorded in 1967, when 200 people died and many buildings collapsed.

The airport in Caracas, also damaged in the quakes, has been closed, and rail and road public transport are also not operating.

Several countries have sent rescue teams, and the United States has promised $150 million in aid.

The US military is sending transport ships and aircraft in support of rescue services, according to the statement.

Jorge Rodríguez, president of the Venezuelan Assembly, said that 250 buildings have been damaged or destroyed, mostly in La Guaira.

In that city, an entire ten-story hotel was completely flattened.

While machines clear the rubble, many are searching for loved ones.

Juan Ortiz told the BBC that one of his close friends has been confirmed dead, another is believed to be under the rubble, and around 20 people he knew living in the coastal area are missing.

“I am in shock and frustrated that I cannot help,” said the medical student in Caracas.

Buildings were also destroyed in the capital Caracas, said Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, and the regions of Trujillo, Yaracuy, Carabobo, Aragua and Miranda were also affected.

Unbelievable moment a building collapses during a powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake in Venezuela pic.twitter.com/FjOVErCLJB
— Surajit (@surajit_ghosh2) June 25, 2026

Both earthquakes struck the capital Caracas, home to around five million people, at around 18:04 local time on June 23.

The first was magnitude 7.2 on the Richter scale and hit the state of Yaracuy west of Caracas at a depth of 22 kilometers, according to USGS data.

Thirty-nine seconds later, a stronger 7.5 magnitude earthquake was recorded near Caracas at a depth of about 10 kilometers.

Although the epicenters of both earthquakes were outside Caracas, strong tremors were felt throughout the city, causing buildings to sway, and some were completely destroyed.

The earthquakes mainly affected Venezuela’s northern coast.

The areas hit by the earthquakes are particularly vulnerable, the USGS noted.

It is stated that many buildings are made of reinforced brick and adobe, and the force of the tremors also means a high likelihood of building destruction and fatalities.

The strength of the earthquakes is also shown by the fact that they were felt as far as the Colombian capital Bogotá, more than 1,000 kilometers away.

Venezuela is in a seismically active zone where two tectonic plates meet, the Caribbean and the South American plates.

According to the USGS, the second and stronger of the two earthquakes occurred because faults, or cracks between plates, moved horizontally.

An earthquake occurs when this movement happens suddenly.