Venezuela earthquakes – A pair of strong quakes struck near San Felipe, Venezuela on June 25, killing at least 32 people and injuring hundreds. The shaking collapsed buildings, pushed Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez to confirm 164 deaths and 700 injuries, and prompted a
The first jolt came around 6:00 p.m. local time on June 25. Then, just 39 seconds later, the ground shook again—powerful enough to ripple across the Caribbean and leave entire neighborhoods in Venezuela looking unrecognizable.
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck near San Felipe. a small town about 168 miles west of Caracas along Venezuela’s central-northwest coast. according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Then the second quake hit the same area at magnitude 7.5. In the aftermath. the destruction was immediate: buildings collapsed. streets filled with debris. and hospitals faced a rush of injured people.
The scale of the disaster widened beyond Venezuela within hours. Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands were placed under a Tsunami Advisory through the National Weather Service’s U.S. Tsunami Warning System, as the back-to-back quakes triggered warnings across the region.
In Venezuela. interim President Delcy Rodriguez confirmed that at least 164 people are dead and that 700 more were injured after buildings collapsed during the quakes. The death toll, she said, is expected to rise sharply. The estimate of potential losses is stark: the USGS has suggested that more than 10,000 fatalities are possible.
Before Rodriguez’s confirmation, the quake’s immediate toll had already been reported as at least 32 dead, with hundreds injured. That gap—between the initial count and the later confirmed numbers—captures the reality of earthquakes: casualties can mount as rescue crews reach damaged areas and information comes in from the hardest-hit locations.
Timing has added another layer of strain. June 24 is a public holiday in Venezuela celebrating the battle that won the country independence from Spain. Many people were at home when the quakes struck. a detail that has shaped how the disaster unfolded in households and neighborhoods across the region.
The sequence of events is clear and unforgiving: two quakes struck within a minute, collapse followed quickly, and the warning system for the Caribbean was activated soon after—turning a regional earthquake into a cross-border emergency.
Venezuela earthquake San Felipe quake Caracas tsunami advisory U.S. Geological Survey National Weather Service Delcy Rodriguez Puerto Rico Virgin Islands