{"id":2346,"date":"2026-06-25T15:35:56","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T15:35:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=2346"},"modified":"2026-06-25T15:35:56","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T15:35:56","slug":"at-least-164-dead-and-971-injured-after-powerful-quakes-rock-venezuela-acting-president-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=2346","title":{"rendered":"At least 164 dead and 971 injured after powerful quakes rock Venezuela, acting president says"},"content":{"rendered":"
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At least 164 people have died and 971 were injured after a pair of powerful quakes rocked Venezuela, Acting President Delcy Rodr\u00edguez said Thursday, adding that rescue teams are rushing to the hardest-hit areas to free people trapped under rubble.<\/p>\n

Read more A powerful 7.2 magnitude earthquake strikes off northern Japan. No tsunami warning is triggered<\/a><\/p>\n

Wednesday evening\u2019s 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes were among the strongest to strike Venezuela in more than a century and could be felt throughout the region. The country’s main airport was damaged and closed, while buildings were evacuated in places as far away as Brazil\u2019s Amazon, about 1,700 kilometers (1,050 miles) from Venezuela\u2019s capital, Caracas.<\/p>\n

RELATED STORY | <\/b>Back-to-back powerful earthquakes slam Venezuela, collapsing buildings in the capital of Caracas<\/b><\/p>\n

Television broadcasts Thursday showed rescue workers using power tools to work their way into piles of rubble where buildings once stood. Panicked residents of the capital were sent pouring into the streets, and after the quakes many people walked among the debris searching for the missing among collapsed buildings and toppled electric poles.<\/p>\n

Footage on state TV showed three children, covered in dust but alive, pulled from the rubble in La Guaira state, which Rodr\u00edguez described as a \u201cdisaster zone\u201d and one of the areas hardest hit by the quakes because of the large number of collapsed buildings.<\/p>\n

Rodr\u00edguez said authorities were shifting rescue teams from other parts of the country to La Guaira, which sits north of Caracas on the coast. She said officials were trying to make the most of the daylight hours to speed up efforts to rescue people believed to remain trapped under the rubble.<\/p>\n

\u201cDozens of buildings have collapsed there … and we are currently carrying out intensive rescue operations to save lives,\u201d Rodr\u00edguez said.<\/p>\n

Video shared online appeared to show dozens of people, some lying on the ground and others on hospital beds, being treated outside a hospital in La Guaira.<\/p>\n

While Venezuela sits near multiple fault lines, its position straddling the South American and Caribbean plates makes strong earthquakes much less common than in other parts of Latin America.<\/p>\n

Rodr\u00edguez appealed to businesses to make heavy construction equipment available for rescue operations, adding that search and rescue teams certified by the United Nations were on their way to Venezuela to assist.<\/p>\n

Residents fled their homes in panic<\/b><\/p>\n

During the quakes, people ran from swaying buildings in Caracas, many visibly shocked when they turned back to see destroyed walls that left furniture visible from the street. Columns of dust rose in two typically busy neighborhoods in the capital.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt started off gently and then gradually grew, and in the end, we all had to leave our houses, go outside and gather together,\u201d Caracas resident Hector Ricci said.<\/p>\n

Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello urged people to remain outside as aftershocks could further damage structures, and many people stayed on the streets for hours, some sitting on the ground hugging pets as dust gathered around them. Others spent the night in parked cars, subway stations and other public places.<\/p>\n

Parts of the capital lost power and cellphone coverage, and the earthquakes damaged and closed Sim\u00f3n Bol\u00edvar International Airport, the country\u2019s main airport, Rodr\u00edguez said.<\/p>\n

In Caracas, subway services were suspended and natural gas shut off, she said. Classes will also be canceled for several days, and the Ministry of Education said some school buildings would be used as shelters and donation centers.<\/p>\n

Read more Police search for suspect after shooting at Phoenix apartment leaves man in critical condition<\/a><\/p>\n

Roberto Gamas, another Caracas resident, said the building he was in \u201cshook from side to side. Unreal. The force was incredibly strong.\u201d<\/p>\n

The lack of cellphone signal in parts of Venezuela deepened the distress of many families, particularly those among the more than 7.7 million people who have left the country during its protracted crisis and who struggled to reach relatives inside the country.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, scores of people took to social media asking for help finding loved ones, posting pictures of missing relatives and their last known location.<\/p>\n

Venezuela opposition leader Mar\u00eda Corina Machado, herself in exile, sent wishes on X for \u201cstrength, serenity, and solidarity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Venezuela was hit twice by large quakes<\/b><\/p>\n

The U.S. Geological Survey said the first earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.2, hit west of Moron on the Caribbean coast, about 170 kilometers (105 miles) west of Caracas. It had a depth of 22 kilometers (about 14 miles).<\/p>\n

The USGS reported a 7.5 magnitude earthquake just a minute later, with a depth of 10 kilometers (about 6 miles) and an epicenter 16 kilometers (10 miles) southwest of Moron.<\/p>\n

Several governments offered assistance<\/b><\/p>\n

Rodr\u00edguez declared a state of emergency in an address to the nation late Wednesday. She said the government was creating a $200 million reconstruction fund for hospitals and homes damaged by the earthquakes, and had instructed the economy and finance ministers to oversee the effort.<\/p>\n

Offers of help poured in from countries around the world.<\/p>\n

U.S. Secretary of State Rubio said in a post on X early Thursday that the United States is \u201cimmediately deploying search and rescue teams, medical resources, and humanitarian assistance to Venezuela.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rodr\u00edguez \u2014 who became acting president after an American military operation captured her predecessor, Nicol\u00e1s Maduro, and brought him to the U.S. to stand trial \u2014 thanked U.S. President Donald Trump. She said in an X post later that she spoke with Rubio by phone without sharing details. She also expressed thanks to the leaders of various nations who have sent messages of support and offers of help.<\/p>\n

Ecuador ordered the delivery of humanitarian aid, and Rodr\u00edguez said Qatar, Mexico and El Salvador had already sent rescue personnel.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe send you all our solidarity and our prayers. Stay strong, Venezuela,\u201d El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, once diametrically opposed to Venezuela\u2019s government, wrote in a post on X.<\/p>\n

Earthquakes impact the region<\/b><\/p>\n

Buildings in Manaus, Belem and Macapa in Brazil\u2019s Amazon were evacuated, according to reports on TV Globo. The quakes also were felt in Colombia\u2019s Caribbean and northeast regions.<\/p>\n

The U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued several tsunami alerts that were quickly lifted.<\/p>\n

While uncommon in Venezuela, earthquakes are frequent along the Pacific coast, including in Mexico and Chile, which both sit along the seismically active tectonic belt known as the Ring of Fire, an area that the USGS says is responsible for 90% of earthquakes.<\/p>\n

Read more Raising the minimum wage helps some workers, but economists warn it could hurt others<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At least 164 people have died after a pair of quakes rocked Venezuela, Acting President Delcy Rodr\u00edguez said, adding that rescue teams are rushing to free people trapped under rubble.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2345,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2346","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national-news"],"yoast_head":"\nAt least 164 dead and 971 injured after powerful quakes rock Venezuela, acting president says - Arizona Moving Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=2346\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"At least 164 dead and 971 injured after powerful quakes rock Venezuela, acting president says - Arizona Moving Insider\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"At least 164 people have died after a pair of quakes rocked Venezuela, Acting President Delcy Rodr\u00edguez said, adding that rescue teams are rushing to free people trapped under rubble.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=2346\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Arizona Moving Insider\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-25T15:35:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2346#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2346\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9c272b4cf18e019eb01eb3c1b5d855fb\"},\"headline\":\"At least 164 dead and 971 injured after powerful quakes rock Venezuela, acting president says\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-25T15:35:56+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2346\"},\"wordCount\":1097,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2346#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/52bd3e5650a02593be310cdbe44f23fe-scaled.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"National News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2346#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2346\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2346\",\"name\":\"At least 164 dead and 971 injured after powerful quakes rock Venezuela, acting president says - Arizona Moving Insider\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2346#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2346#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/52bd3e5650a02593be310cdbe44f23fe-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-25T15:35:56+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9c272b4cf18e019eb01eb3c1b5d855fb\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2346#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2346\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2346#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/52bd3e5650a02593be310cdbe44f23fe-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/52bd3e5650a02593be310cdbe44f23fe-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707,\"caption\":\"A man holding a dog cries after an earthquake in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, June 24, 2026. 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