Northern and central Venezuela were struck by two consecutive strong earthquakes on June 24, 2026, with magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 occurring about 39 seconds apart. Both quakes had shallow depths near 10-13 kilometers [1, 2, 3, 4].

The epicenters were located near towns including Montalban, Moron, San Felipe, and Yumare, situated roughly 20 to 320 kilometers west or northwest of Caracas [5, 6, 1, 7, 2, 8, 3, 4]. The intense shaking severely affected Caracas and neighboring districts such as Palos Grandes and Altamira. Multiple buildings collapsed and others suffered structural damage, leading to widespread fear [5, 6, 9, 1, 2, 8, 3, 4]. Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello noted the severity of the impact, stating many states were affected with the worst damage in Palos Grandes and Altamira where buildings collapsed [1].

Following the earthquakes, residents evacuated buildings and stayed outdoors fearing aftershocks, which numbered more than 20 through the evening [6, 1, 7, 2, 8, 3, 10, 4]. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) issued a red alert under its PAGER system estimating thousands to over 10,000 casualties, with a 30-44% probability of deaths exceeding 10,000 due to the intensity and population vulnerability [1, 2, 3]. Many live in unreinforced brick or adobe homes, increasing risks of collapse [1, 3].

The Venezuelan government declared a national emergency late on June 24. President Delcy Rodriguez expressed condolences to survivors and announced the closure of Simon Bolivar International Airport due to damage, with reopening plans pending further assessment [3, 4].

Neighboring Colombia and northern Brazil also felt tremors causing temporary evacuations, though no major damage or casualties were reported there [5, 6, 7, 2, 10]. US Tsunami Warning Centers issued alerts for Puerto Rico, the US and British Virgin Islands, plus nearby Venezuelan islands such as Aruba and Curacao, but Venezuelan officials later dismissed the risk of tsunamis [5, 6, 9, 7, 8].

Experts including Caltech seismologist Lucy Jones confirmed the Venezuelan quakes were unrelated to other strong earthquakes in California and Japan that occurred on the same day, noting large quakes thousands of miles apart do not typically trigger one another [11, 12, 3].

Aftershocks continue to be monitored following the major events, and authorities are assessing ongoing structural damage across affected areas [7, 4].