Images from around La Guiara, Venezuela show the extent of damage following back-to-back major earthquakes on Wednesday night. The death toll is expected to rise as search and rescue efforts continue.
CARACAS, Venezuela– Search and rescue efforts continue in Venezuela as the death and injury toll continues to climb more than 36 hours after two major earthquakes caused catastrophic damage.
At least 589 people died and 2,980 are injured following the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes that hit on Wednesday night, Acting President of Venezuela Delcy Rodriguez said on Venezuelan state media Friday morning.
A rescuer cuts the steel bars of a collapsed building with an angle grinder in Caracas on June 25, 2026, following deadly earthquakes. Using heavy equipment or their bare hands, rescuers and volunteers searched for survivors of the twin earthquake in Venezuela, which has officially left 589 dead and, according to estimates, thousands missing.
(Juan BARRETO / AFP / Getty Images)
Rodriguez said dozens of people have been rescued alive.
Hundreds of first responders from central and South America have arrived in Venezuela, and are digging through the rubble of collapsed buildings and damage in search of the missing on Friday.
WHAT TO DO DURING AND AFTER AN EARTHQUAKE
Members of Colombian Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) carry equipment while getting ready to depart with humanitarian aid to Venezuela at Catam Air Base in Bogota on June 26, 2026, following deadly earthquakes.
(Luis ACOSTA / AFP / Getty Images)
On Wednesday night, at about 6:04 p.m. ET, an initial magnitude 7.2 earthquake was the first event in a doublet, and was followed roughly 39 seconds later by a larger magnitude 7.5 mainshock.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), a doublet sequence is defined as two earthquakes of similar magnitude that occur close in time and proximity.
The first earthquake occurred roughly 14 miles east-northeast of San Felipe, Venezuela, at a depth of about 12.6 miles. This was the foreshock earthquake in the doublet.
LA GUAIRA, VENEZUELA – JUNE 25: A person walks amid debris of demolished buildings as rescue efforts continue after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Venezuela and other regions in the Caribbean on June 25, 2026 in La Guaira, Venezuela.
(Jesus Vargas / Getty Images)
About 39 seconds later, at 6:05 p.m. the mainshock magnitude 7.5 occurred roughly 17 miles east-northeast of San Felipe. This earthquake happened at a depth of 6.2 miles.
The second-highest shaking level rated by the USGS, classified as “violent,” was reported near the earthquake’s epicenter.
MAGNITUDE 6.5 EARTHQUAKE STRIKES OFF SOUTHERN PHILIPPINES NEAR SITE OF JUNE 8 MAJOR QUAKE
Cities hundreds of miles from the earthquakes reported some level of shaking, according to USGS data.
CARACAS, VENEZUELA – JUNE 25: People and rescuers work on the debris of a collapsed building after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Venezuela and other regions in the Caribbean on June 25, 2026 in Caracas, Venezuela.
((Photo by Edilzon Gamez/Getty Images) / Getty Images)
Rodriguez said more than 200 aftershocks have occurred since the doublet earthquakes.
These were the strongest earthquakes to strike Venezuela since a magnitude 7.7 quake struck just off the country’s coast in 1900, according to the USGS. A magnitude 7.0 quake hit the northern state of Sucre in 1997.
DISASTER RESPONSE: First responders sift through the rubble left behind by two major earthquakes in Venezuela on Wednesday evening, as a man was rescued from a collapsed building. pic.twitter.com/Qd7wm852A7
— FOX Weather (@foxweather) June 26, 2026
Rodriguez said she remains in contact with the governor of the state of La Guaira, which she said has suffered some of the most extensive damage.
La Guaira is about 30 miles north of Caracas. Images from the area showed a number of collapsed buildings, and the state has been declared a disaster zone.
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LA GUAIRA, VENEZUELA – JUNE 25: People and rescuers search for victims amid debris of demolished buildings as rescue efforts continue after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Venezuela and other regions in the Caribbean on June 25, 2026 in La Guaira, Venezuela.
(Jesus Vargas) -
LA GUAIRA, VENEZUELA – JUNE 25: C.P.N.B workers and police members tend a victim amid debris of demolished buildings as rescue efforts continue after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Venezuela and other regions in the Caribbean on June 25, 2026 in La Guaira, Venezuela. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the main earthquake was followed by a 7.5-magnitude aftershock less than a minute later. The number of victims increased to 188 and over a 1500 injured.
(Jesus Vargas) -
LA GUAIRA, VENEZUELA – JUNE 26:Rescue teams continue searching the rubble of collapsed buildings for survivors following the devastating earthquake in Caraballeda, La Guaira, Venezula on June 26, 2026.
(Diko Betancourt/Anadolu) -
A view shows a heavily damaged apartment building following an earthquake in Catia La Mar, La Guaira state, about 30 km northwest of Caracas, on June 25, 2026.
((Photo by Juan BARRETO / AFP via Getty Images)) -
Traffic moves along a road past heavily damaged apartment buildings following an earthquake in Catia La Mar, La Guaira state, about 30 km northwest of Caracas, on June 25, 2026.
((Photo by Juan BARRETO / AFP via Getty Images))
The USGS estimated that significant economic losses bordering on disaster would result from the two major earthquakes.
It’s likely the death toll will continue to climb as search and recovery efforts proceed.
