2026/6/25 10:50 (updated at 6/25 11:08) Please agree to our privacy policy to enable the news listening function. Venezuela was hit by two strong earthquakes with a magnitude of over 7 on the 24th, which may be the largest earthquakes encountered in Venezuela since 1900. The picture shows the rescue team conducting rescue operations. (Reuters) (Central News Agency, Caracas, comprehensive foreign news report on the 24th) Central Venezuela was hit by two strong earthquakes with a magnitude of over 7.0 tonight, which may be the largest earthquakes encountered in Venezuela since 1900. Around the time of the Venezuelan earthquake, earthquakes also occurred in the United States and Japan. Experts said there was no sign that these earthquakes were related to each other. NBC News reported that in the capital Caracas, people were evacuated from buildings and stayed outside. Many people had visibly horrified expressions on their faces as they watched entire walls collapse, kicking up dust from some of the normally bustling restaurants and businesses in the neighborhood. The New York Times quoted the United States Geological Survey (USGS) as pointing out that less than a minute after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake occurred at approximately 6:04 pm local time on the 24th, another magnitude 7.5 earthquake occurred. The epicenters were both located near San Felipe, a town in Yaracuy state in central Venezuela with a population of about 220,000, about 320 kilometers west of the capital Caracas. The depths of the earthquakes were 13 and 10 kilometers respectively. A preliminary report from the U.S. Geological Survey called the earthquake a “severe seismic doublet sequence,” which means two earthquakes of similar size and extremely high magnitude occurred at similar times and in adjacent spaces. The two earthquakes usually trigger their own aftershocks, which are more destructive than a single mainshock with aftershocks. The scale of the earthquake may be revised later. Many people in the affected areas live in brick buildings and adobe houses without steel reinforcement, which are particularly vulnerable to earthquake damage. Preliminary estimates from the U.S. Geological Survey put the death toll from the earthquake at 10,000 to 100,000. Josefina, a 48-year-old civil servant who lives in Valencia, a city west of Caracas Hernandez said that she first heard a deafening loud noise, and then the power went out immediately, and everything in the house was shaking. “You want to run away, but you can’t move. People were panicking and screaming. It was really scary. Everyone rushed out of the house, shouting, ‘What the hell is this?'” Venezuelan national militiamen, police and civil defense personnel climbed up the collapsed building, called the names of the missing, and asked onlookers to keep quiet so that the trapped people could hear the rescuers. Videos circulated on social media showed that at the international airport in Maiquetia, near Caracas, the terminal shook violently during the earthquake and passengers fled. The New York Times pointed out that this earthquake quickly reminded many Venezuelans of the 1967 earthquake. The earthquake hit Caracas hard, killing more than 200 people. About seven hours before the earthquake in Venezuela, a magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck northern California in the United States. About half an hour after the earthquake in Venezuela, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake also occurred off the coast of Japan in Asia. There were no reports of damage from the earthquakes in the United States and Japan; experts said there was no sign that the earthquakes were related to each other. The New York Times also pointed out that since the arrest of then-Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro in January this year, the Trump administration has been playing a key role in Venezuela’s domestic affairs. Whether and to what extent the United States will participate in disaster relief and recovery efforts this time will become an indicator of the Trump administration’s commitment to Venezuela. Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez delivered a brief national television address on the evening of the 24th, declaring a state of emergency in the country and expressing condolences to the survivors. The international airport in Magdia was closed due to damage and will be notified later. Rodriguez expressed his gratitude to a number of countries that have contacted Venezuela and expressed solidarity and support, including the United States. Rodriguez revealed that Venezuela may seek multilateral institutions to assist in reconstruction. “Several multilateral financial institutions have contacted us and expressed their willingness to provide support to Venezuela.” She also said that Venezuela has recently begun repairing its relationship with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). (Compiled by: Chen Yiwei) 1150625 Support the Central News Agency’s choice to stand with the facts. Every donation you make is a small amount of support to protect press freedom. Download the Central News Agency’s “First-hand News” APP to get the latest news in real time. The text, pictures and audio and video of this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.
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