PHOTO At least two buildings ‘completely collapsed’, says Chacao mayor
HERE IS THE LATEST
- Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez declares a state of emergency after two major earthquakes shook the capital Caracas just seconds apart – the first a magnitude 7.2 and the second 7.5
- Rescue crews are searching the rubble of collapsed multi-storey buildings for survivors and Venezuela’s main international airport has been closed due to serious damage from the earthquakes
- High casualties and extensive damage are feared, with the US Geological Survey (USGS) saying there is a 44% chance the death toll will surpass 10,000
- Venezuela was celebrating a national holiday and many people would have been at home when the quakes struck at 18:04 local time (23:04 BST)
- The quakes hit an area west of Caracas, and could be felt throughout the country and as far away as Bogota, Colombia
Panic and confusion on the streets of Caracas
Photographs taken in the hours since the tremors struck show residents gathered along the streets of Venezuela’s capital, after their homes shook and the power went out.
Some hug their siblings and pets, while rescuers sift through debris for those trapped.
Authorities fear high casualties, but the full extent of damage is still unknown
First responders search for victims in a collapsed building following an earthquake in Caracas on June 24, 2026.
People calling for help from wreckage
BBC Mundo contributor Nicole Kolster said earlier that people could be heard calling for help from under the rubble of a collapsed building.
“‘Ask for help. We’re here,’ is what you can hear,” she said.
After the quake, others were “still outside waiting for safety in case there’s an aftershock,” Kolster added.
“The recommendation is not to go back up into the building,” she explained.
Maria Elise, a local from the Caracas suburb of Palos Grandes, described how her apartment “has some cracked walls. There are fallen utility poles, we have no electricity, no signal.”
BBC
