Mapped: Venezuela's Strongest Earthquake in Over a Century as M7.2 and M7.5 Hit the Caribbean Coast

Key Takeaways

Two huge quakes, 39 seconds apart. A magnitude 7.2 foreshock struck Venezuela's Caribbean coast at about 6:04 p.m. local time on 24 June 2026, followed less than a minute later by a magnitude 7.5 mainshock, a rare "doublet," in the words of the USGS.
Epicenter near Morón, ~150 km west of Caracas. Both epicenters sat near the coastal town of Morón, in the Yaracuy–Carabobo region, roughly 160 km (100 mi) west of the capital. The mainshock was just 10 km deep, shallow enough to do severe damage.
Strongest since 1900. The M7.5 mainshock is the most powerful earthquake to strike Venezuela since a magnitude 7.7 event in 1900, the country's biggest in over a century.
USGS red alert. The USGS warned that "high casualties and extensive damage are probable," estimating a 44% chance the death toll tops 10,000. Buildings collapsed in Caracas and the main international airport was shut.
Brief tsunami scare. Tsunami alerts were issued for Puerto Rico, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands and the ABC islands, then withdrawn within about an hour. The shaking was felt as far away as Bogotá, Colombia.

Venezuela was struck by the most powerful earthquake in more than a century on the evening of 24 June 2026, when two enormous tremors, a magnitude 7.2 foreshock and a magnitude 7.5 mainshock, hit the Caribbean coast less than a minute apart. Buildings collapsed in the capital, Caracas, the country’s busiest international airport was shut, and the U.S. Geological Survey warned of “high casualties and extensive damage” across a wide area.

The quakes landed on a national holiday (Venezuela was marking the 1821 Battle of Carabobo), so many people were at home when the ground began to heave. Residents poured into the streets and stayed out for hours, wary of aftershocks. The map below shows where the epicenters sat relative to Caracas and the densely populated cities of the central coast.

Map of northern Venezuela showing the M7.2 and M7.5 earthquake epicenters near Morón on the Caribbean coast, about 150 km west of Caracas

Casualties and latest updates

Confirmed toll · updated July 16, 2026

At least 4,829 people killed and 16,740 injured, according to figures from National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez reported on 16 July (up from 4,333 on 15 July). Rescue teams pulled 6,462 survivors from the rubble; 17,907 people remain homeless, many in crowded temporary shelters in Caracas and La Guaira where clean water and sanitation remain limited. No significant new aftershocks have been recorded since the initial M7.5 and M7.2 doublet, and the response is shifting from rescue to reconstruction. The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction puts direct damage at USD 37 billion. Forensic sources continue to tell CNN the official toll is a significant undercount; tens of thousands of people remain on missing-persons registries, though tracked estimates have fallen to a range of roughly 18,000 to 30,000 names.

Latest developments

July 16 (latest): The confirmed death toll rises to 4,829, per figures from National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez reported on 16 July, with the injured count unchanged at 16,740 and 17,907 people homeless. Three weeks on, families are still searching the rubble for missing relatives, and aid groups warn that crowded shelters have limited access to clean water and adequate sanitation. The UN’s earthquake addendum to its 2026 humanitarian plan seeks an additional USD 298 million over six months for 1.3 million people, lifting total requirements to USD 930 million, but the earthquake appeal remains only about 42% funded (roughly USD 270 million received of USD 640 million sought).
July 15: The confirmed death toll rises to 4,333, per National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez, with the injured figure unchanged at 16,740 and about 17,000 people still homeless across more than 80 shelters. With no significant new aftershocks recorded since the initial M7.5 and M7.2 doublet, the emergency is shifting from rescue to reconstruction: the government says distribution of emergency housing will begin next week, and international teams, including a group of Israeli military engineers, are helping draw up a national reconstruction plan.
July 11: The official death toll passes 4,000 to 4,118 killed and 16,740 injured, per the government’s 11 July communiqué, an increase of more than 400 deaths since 8 July as bodies continue to be recovered from La Guaira and western Caracas. USGS and OCHA have now logged more than 1,000 aftershocks (1,048 as of the 6 July situation report). Aid agencies warn of a deepening public-health crisis: the Associated Press reports surging chronic illness and diarrhoea in quake-hit communities and overcrowded shelters, where more than 12,000 of the estimated 17,800 homeless are housed. The government has appealed for access to billions in frozen overseas assets to fund reconstruction, with the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction putting direct damage at USD 37 billion.
July 8: The official toll climbs to at least 3,685 killed and 16,740 injured, an increase of 150 deaths from Monday per Jorge Rodríguez. Rescue teams have now recovered 6,462 survivors and 17,907 people are homeless, sheltered across 87 temporary sites. The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction publishes a preliminary damage assessment of USD 37 billion: USD 24 billion in direct damage to homes, businesses, schools and hospitals, and USD 13 billion in infrastructure losses, of which roughly USD 5 billion is telecommunications. 856 buildings have been logged as damaged and 190 have fully collapsed, with 38 hospitals hit and 1,600 pieces of transport infrastructure affected. International response continues to scale: 30 countries are contributing, deploying around 3,600 rescue workers, 1,000 tonnes of humanitarian supplies and dozens of canine teams. Jamaica has just committed a humanitarian assistance package, and the UK’s Disasters Emergency Committee appeal has crossed £10 million. A forensic pathologist quoted by CNN says the official count is still “not even a third” of what is actually there; independent registries continue to list roughly 50,000 people unaccounted for.
July 7: The official toll rises to at least 3,535 killed, 16,740 injured and 17,854 homeless, an increase of 193 deaths from Sunday, per National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez. Growth is slowing but the rescue phase is officially winding down; AP and CNN report that in La Guaira, families are now largely left to recover their dead on their own. About 12,800 people are sheltering across 80 temporary sites in Caracas and La Guaira. Al Jazeera reports that experts are warning of an impending health crisis in the crowded, unsanitary shelters, and there is still no confirmed government figure for the missing.
July 5 to 6: The official toll jumps to at least 3,342 killed and more than 16,700 injured in an Independence Day announcement by National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez, up roughly 750 deaths from Friday. The mass-burial phase begins: gravediggers at La Esperanza cemetery in La Guaira bury more than 150 unidentified bodies, and hundreds of coffins line the port of La Guaira, now a temporary morgue after the state’s forensic system was overwhelmed. The UN estimates up to 50,000 people are still unaccounted for, a figure the government does not confirm. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez defends the response amid growing public anger and warns that no social unrest will be tolerated.
July 4: The official toll holds at at least 2,595 killed and more than 12,000 injured, but the recovery keeps hinting at a higher final count: a forensic pathologist tells CNN the La Guaira morgue operation is receiving around 400 bodies a day, and a non-governmental database still lists more than 38,000 people as missing. The disaster is turning political: acting President Delcy Rodríguez defended her government as her 180-day mandate expired, announcing 11 international field hospitals and a national donation fund, while opposition leader María Corina Machado presses to return to the country. The US military is airlifting aid with a 250-person disaster team and three urban search-and-rescue units, and Israel sent an aid delegation, its first to Venezuela after a 17-year diplomatic freeze.
July 3: Acting President Delcy Rodríguez raises the official toll to at least 2,595 killed and more than 12,000 injured, an increase of 300 deaths in a single day, while angrily defending the government response against suggestions the real toll is far higher. The UN Development Programme estimates $6.7 billion in direct physical damage, about 6% of GDP, with nearly 800 buildings collapsed and a NASA satellite analysis suggesting some 58,870 buildings may be damaged. In La Guaira the effort has turned to identifying the dead: bodies are preserved in donated cooling containers at the seaport, forensic teams expect up to three months of recovery work, and officials concede mass graves may be needed. An unofficial online registry lists roughly 38,500 people still unaccounted for, down from nearly 60,000, and several officials have been arrested for looting in the disaster zone.
July 2: The official National Assembly balance climbs to at least 2,295 killed and 11,267 injured as the disaster enters its second week. In a moment of hope, rescuers pulled 43-year-old security guard Hernán Alberto Gil Flores alive after eight days trapped in the basement of a collapsed shopping centre in Catia La Mar, an around-the-clock operation led by Chilean firefighters with teams from the United States, Portugal, Mexico, Costa Rica and El Salvador; in total 6,461 people have been rescued from the rubble. Doctors warn hospitals are close to collapse: 17,026 patients have been treated so far, with medicine shortages and rising infection risk, and CNN reports overflowing morgues and doubts that the official count captures the full toll. Authorities have recorded more than 780 aftershocks, though their frequency and strength are declining.
July 1: The latest official count rises to at least 1,943 killed and 10,571 injured, with more than 15,800 people displaced. The operation has fully shifted from rescue to recovery. More than 30 countries have now sent over 3,600 rescuers, 1,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid and specialised canine teams, and survivors are still being found: rescuers pulled a 3-year-old boy alive after six days trapped under the rubble. More than 130 aftershocks have now been recorded since the initial quakes. Officials still have not confirmed how many people are missing; civilian registries and UN estimates cite figures above 50,000, which the government disputes.
June 30: The latest official count from the National Assembly puts the toll at at least 1,719 killed and 5,034 injured, and the New York Times reports the true figure is likely higher. The operation is shifting from rescue to recovery, with authorities and the UN arranging 10,000 body bags, though survivors are still being found: rescuers pulled 21-year-old Aaron Levi alive after 106 hours trapped in a collapsed building in La Guaira, where 189 buildings are confirmed destroyed. A felt magnitude 4.6 aftershock rattled the coast near Caracas during rescue operations. Officials still have not confirmed how many people are missing; civilian-run registries list tens of thousands of names, with the UN citing figures above 50,000 that the government disputes.
June 29: The official death toll rises to at least 1,450, with more than 3,200 injured and over 12,700 people left homeless. International rescue crews from the United States, Chile, France, Spain, Mexico and El Salvador join the search; one team pulls 60-year-old Belkys Barreto alive from a collapsed building in La Guaira after 86 hours trapped. More than 130 aftershocks have now been recorded, the largest magnitude 4.8.
June 28: The confirmed death toll rises to at least 1,430, with about 3,200 injured and 3,100 left homeless, according to National Assembly president Jorge Rodríguez. Families have reported tens of thousands of people unaccounted for, and more than 130 aftershocks have been recorded since the initial quakes.
June 28: The United Nations estimates the disaster caused $6.7 billion in damage, equal to about 6% of Venezuela’s GDP. Aid flights are landing at a partially reopened Caracas airport, soldiers are unloading supplies by helicopter in La Guaira, and shelters are being set up for displaced residents as the search enters its fourth day.
June 27: The government’s confirmed death toll jumps to around 920, with about 3,360 injured and 172 people still trapped under the rubble. More than 50,000 remain on missing-persons registries. The collapse of two 17-story towers at the Belo Horizonte complex in Catia La Mar, La Guaira, is among the deadliest single sites.
June 27: The United States pledges $150 million in aid and some sanctions relief, and rescue crews from Mexico, El Salvador and other countries arrive. Residents in La Guaira are still digging by hand amid a shortage of heavy equipment. A weaker magnitude 4.9 aftershock is felt in Caracas and Maracay.
June 26: Venezuela’s health minister, Carlos Alvarado, says the death toll from the twin earthquakes has climbed to around 235, with about 4,300 injured. Tens of thousands of people remain unaccounted for, with online registries listing more than 50,000 names, though officials expect many to be found safe.
June 26: Search-and-rescue operations continue for a second full day across La Guaira and Caracas, with international teams now on the ground. Aftershocks persist along the northern coast, and Simón Bolívar International Airport remains closed.
June 25: The confirmed death toll rises to at least 164, with close to 1,000 injured. La Guaira remains the hardest-hit state. Officials warn the count will keep rising as crews reach collapsed buildings, and some reports describe thousands of people still unaccounted for.
June 25: More than 20 aftershocks have been felt along the northern coast, across La Guaira, Miranda, Aragua, Carabobo and Falcón. The USGS puts the chance of a magnitude-6 or larger aftershock this week at about 40%.
June 25: Rescue teams pull survivors from the rubble, with hundreds of rescuers working across La Guaira and Caracas. International search-and-rescue teams begin arriving.
June 25: The UN, the Red Cross and several Latin American countries pledge aid, including search teams, medical supplies and food. Simón Bolívar International Airport remains closed.

What happened: a rare earthquake “doublet”

According to the USGS, the first quake, a magnitude 7.2, struck at roughly 6:04 p.m. local time, with its epicenter on the coast near the town of Morón, about 168 km (104 miles) west of Caracas, at a depth of 22 km. Just 39 seconds later, an even larger magnitude 7.5 tremor ruptured almost the same patch of crust, this time only 10 km deep and centred about 16 km southwest of Morón. The two epicenters lay an estimated three miles apart.

Seismologists call this kind of near-simultaneous pair a “doublet.” “When the earthquakes are this close together in time, it can be difficult to unravel the exact magnitudes and the exact locations, especially for the second event,” USGS seismologist Paul Earle explained, because the seismograph signals overlap. What is not in doubt is the destructive combination at play here: a very large magnitude and a very shallow depth, directly beneath a populated, heavily built-up coastline.

Damage in Caracas and a red-level alert

Even 150 km from the epicenter, Caracas shook violently. Witnesses described walls peeling away from buildings, dust columns rising over neighbourhoods, and furniture spilling into the streets. A branch building of Bancaribe bank collapsed; parts of the capital lost power and cellphone service. Authorities closed the main Simón Bolívar International Airport at Maiquetía after it sustained damage, and cancelled classes.

The USGS PAGER system issued a red alert, its highest, warning that “high casualties and extensive damage are probable, and the disaster is likely widespread.” Its initial modelling put a 44% probability on the death toll exceeding 10,000, and a 30% chance of more than 100,000 fatalities. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez declared a state of emergency, while interior minister Diosdado Cabello urged people on state television to stay outdoors as aftershocks rattled damaged structures. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez later confirmed an initial toll of at least 32 dead and more than 700 injured, figures expected to rise (see the latest updates above).

A tsunami threat was briefly issued for Puerto Rico, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, and the ABC islands of Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire off Venezuela’s coast. It was withdrawn within about an hour. The tremor was felt across much of northern Venezuela and as far away as Bogotá, Colombia.

Venezuela’s strongest quake since 1900

The M7.5 mainshock is the largest earthquake to strike Venezuela since 1900, when a magnitude 7.7 event hit the same Caribbean coast. Powerful earthquakes are comparatively rare here: although Venezuela straddles a major plate boundary, it does not rupture as often as the Pacific coast of Latin America. The chart below sets the 2026 doublet against the country’s most significant past quakes.

Bar chart comparing the magnitudes of Venezuela's most powerful earthquakes, with the 2026 M7.5 Morón doublet the strongest since 1900

Caracas itself has a grim seismic history. A magnitude 6.5 quake in 1967 killed around 280 people and collapsed apartment blocks in the city; residents who lived through it told reporters this one felt worse. Further back, the catastrophic 1812 earthquake, which also fell on a holiday, destroyed much of Caracas and Mérida and killed an estimated 15,000 to 26,000 people.

Why Venezuela’s coast shakes

Venezuela sits along the boundary where the Caribbean Plate grinds eastward past the South American Plate at roughly two centimetres a year. Rather than one plate diving beneath the other, the two mostly slide horizontally past each other along a system of strike-slip faults (the El Pilar, San Sebastián and Boconó faults) that run across the country’s northern edge. The June 2026 rupture occurred along this coastal fault zone, the same belt responsible for the 1900 and 1812 disasters.

Shallow strike-slip quakes of this size release tremendous energy close to the surface, which is why the shaking was so intense across the central-coast cities of Valencia, Maracay and the capital region.

What comes next

The USGS expects a vigorous aftershock sequence. In the week after the mainshock, forecasters put the chance of a magnitude 6 or larger aftershock at about 40%, and called a magnitude 5 or larger aftershock all but certain. For a population already sleeping outdoors, those follow-on shocks are the immediate danger, threatening structures left weakened by the initial doublet. The full scale of the disaster (casualties, displacement and damage) will only become clear in the days ahead as rescue crews reach the worst-hit areas. We’ll update this map and post as confirmed figures emerge.