Caracas buildings – Two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela on June 24, collapsing buildings in Caracas and briefly triggering tsunami advisories for parts of the Caribbean and U.S. territories. The U.S. Tsunami Warning System later canceled the alert after the threat passed, a
Caracas was still waking up to nightfall when the ground gave way.
Two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela on June 24. collapsing buildings in the capital and briefly prompting tsunami alerts for islands in the Caribbean. according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The first quake hit at about 6:04 p.m. local time, roughly 15 miles east-northeast of San Felipe, Venezuela. The USGS initially reported a magnitude of 7.1 and placed the quake at a depth of about 8 miles. with its epicenter about 17 miles northwest of Montalban. Venezuela.
Less than a minute later, the earth struck again. The USGS reported a second major earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5. That quake occurred about 14 miles southeast of Yumare, Venezuela.
The USGS described the sequence as a doublet. “This earthquake was the first event in a doublet, this magnitude 7.2 foreshock was followed just 39 seconds later by a larger 7.5 mainshock,” the agency said in a statement on its website.
The shaking didn’t stay local. The U.S. Tsunami Warning System initially issued a tsunami threat for Puerto Rico and the United States and British Virgin Islands following the earthquake. It also warned that islands off the coast of Venezuela—Aruba, Curacao, and Bonaire—could be hit by hazardous waves.
Within hours, the tone shifted. In an update, the U.S. Tsunami Warning System said the tsunami advisory was canceled. “The tsunami threat from this earthquake has passed and there is no further threat,” the message said.
In Caracas, witnesses reported feeling the quake and scrambling to safety. One witness said they were forced to evacuate as buildings shook. Another reported that cracks formed on the side of their building. Video footage showed emergency workers climbing into a collapsed building as darkness fell.
Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said on state television, “Some buildings have been brought down (in Caracas), houses have collapsed.” He did not provide any initial estimates of deaths or injuries, and said protocols were being followed to gather more information.
What the records show is a fast, relentless sequence: a first event at 6:04 p.m. local time. then a larger shock less than a minute later—followed by a tsunami warning that was later called off. In the capital. people described the immediate aftermath as evacuation and visible structural damage. while officials focused on confirming what happened.
As of the latest reports, no initial fatality or injury figures had been released by Cabello, and the focus remained on emergency response and gathering information about the damage across Caracas.
Venezuela earthquake Caracas earthquake USGS doublet tsunami warning system Puerto Rico tsunami advisory Aruba Curacao Bonaire Diosdado Cabello