Death toll climbs to 920 after twin earthquakes rock Venezuela, over 50,000 still missing

The earthquake strikes

On the evening of 24 June, two powerful earthquakes hit northern Venezuela within 39 seconds of each other. The first, a magnitude-7.2 tremor, originated near Morón, about 170 km west of Caracas, at a depth of 22 km. Almost immediately, a second, stronger 7.5-magnitude quake followed at a shallower depth of 10 km, according to the US Geological Survey. The rapid succession caused buildings already weakened by the first shock to collapse entirely in the coastal state of La Guaira and in the capital Caracas. Rescue workers soon began searching mountains of rubble for survivors.

“The world was moving for a very long time. The two earthquakes felt like one huge one.”

Casualties surge past 900

By Friday, interim president Delcy Rodríguez confirmed 920 deaths and nearly 3,000 injured, though health minister Carlos Alvarado earlier reported over 4,300 wounded. The UN humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, said more than 50,000 people remain missing and warned the death toll "will increase considerably." Among the dead are foreign nationals, including 15 of Portuguese origin, seven Chinese, two Brazilians, five Spaniards and one Italian-Venezuelan. Many families expressed frustration over what they see as a slow government response as they waited for official rescue teams.

“Our mission is to find as many as possible and to keep the death toll as low as possible, but it will increase considerably.”

International rescue mobilises

Rescue teams from at least 17 countries are now deployed, comprising 1,600 trained urban search-and-rescue personnel and more than 100 dogs, with drones used to access unstable structures. The US announced a $150 million aid package, the temporary suspension of some sanctions, and the deployment of Southern Command ships and aircraft. President Donald Trump promised "rapid and substantial assistance," and Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the response "broad, swift and effective." The interim Venezuelan government also created a $200 million reconstruction fund.

“We will provide rapid and substantial assistance to Venezuela.”

Why the damage was so severe

Geologists point to the shallow depth and the rapid-fire double strike as key factors. The quakes ruptured the San Sebastián fault, part of the 1,300-km Boconó-San Sebastián-El Pilar system where the Caribbean and South American plates grind past each other at about 1 cm per year. This fault has generated devastating earthquakes in 1641, 1812, 1900 and 1967. Many buildings in the affected areas do not meet seismic codes, and the quakes struck a country where over 20 million live in poverty and hospitals lack basic utilities.

Political and economic shockwaves

The disaster tests the Trump administration's "Donroe Doctrine," a revamped Monroe Doctrine aimed at consolidating US influence in the Western Hemisphere. Since the capture of Nicolás Maduro in January, Washington has positioned Venezuela as a strategic ally. The quakes are estimated to cause economic losses equal to 1–7% of Venezuela's $111 billion GDP, on top of a $240 billion national debt, the largest in history. Interim president Rodríguez said an IMF fund of $200 million would support reconstruction of infrastructure, hospitals and housing.

“We express our solidarity with the families of the victims.”