Venezuela was hit by two back-to-back powerful earthquakes around 06:04-06:05 PM local time Wednesday June 24, 2026, leaving many buildings razed to ground. The twin earthquakes originated in Yaracuy state, about 160 km west of capital Caracas, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The first, a magnitude 7.2 quake, struck at a depth of 22 km, followed less than a minute later by a magnitude 7.5 quake at a depth of about 10 km. Tremors were felt across Caracas and much of central and western Venezuela, and were also reported in neighboring Colombia and Brazil’s Amazon region. The government has officially confirmed 32 deaths and over 700 injured people. The USGS warned "high casualties and extensive damage are probable," with a 39 percent probability that fatalities could be between 1,000 and 10,000, and a 37 percent chance they could touch 1,00,000. Rescue operations are underway, classes have been suspended, and Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodriguez declared a state of emergency. The European Union mobilised its Copernicus Programme for recovery efforts, and the UN called on Venezuelan authorities to lift restrictions on media access.