Venezuela earthquakes: ‘intensive’ search for survivors as death toll rises to 188 – latest updates

At least 164 people killed and 971 injured in earthquakes, Venezuela interim leader says

At least 164 people have died and 971 were injured in Venezuela after the country was hit by two powerful earthquakes, acting president Delcy Rodríguez said.

The latest figures mark a sharp increase from an earlier reported toll of 32 dead and 700 injured. Authorities fear the numbers could rise further as rescue efforts continue.

Yesterday’s 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes were among the strongest to strike Venezuela in more than a century.

Rodríguez said authorities were shifting rescue teams from other parts of the country to the hardest-hit La Guaira area, which sits north of the capital Caracas.

“Dozens of buildings have collapsed there … and we are currently carrying out intensive rescue operations to save lives,” she said.

Map showing earthquake locations in Venezuela.Share

Updated at 06.33 EDT

Key events

Mark Carney, Canada’s prime minister, has said his administration should reopen the embassies in Venezuela and Iran that his predecessors closed.

Speaking on Thursday, he said he recognised the disagreements which led to the closures, but said Canada’s current lack of diplomatic presence is not only hampering Ottawa’s ability to help Canadians abroad, but is also limiting its ability to respond to humanitarian crises.

“Engagement is not endorsement,” Carney said. “Having an embassy, having consular services in a country, does not mean we endorse the policies of that country.”

A decision has not yet been made, he said, but added that the situation needs to change.

Canada suspended operations at its embassy in Venezuela in 2019, saying the regime of then Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro would not renew visas for its diplomats.

“There are a series of countries with whom we don’t see eye to eye, to put it mildly, where we don’t have representation in the country,” Carney said. “And that puts us as a disadvantage, first and foremost, to helping Canadians that are in these countries.”

The death toll has risen to 188, with more than 1,500 people injured after two powerful earthquakes struck the country on Wednesday.

Jorge Rodríguez, the president of the national assembly, told reporters that 1,520 victims had been taken to hospital for treatment. There were also 157 people missing, Rodríguez added, calling on citizens to report to the government relatives who are missing.

Jane Clinton

Hector Moran Cirkovic, 61, a former architect, was by the beach in Catia La Mar, in La Guaira, about 45 minutes by car from the centre of Caracas. He was with his wife and adult daughter and other family members when they saw the earthquakes hit.

“We were by the swimming pool,” he says of their location at the Club Playa Grande Yachting Club. “First the earthquakes were mild, then very strong for 40 seconds, then I saw buildings collapse in front of me.”

He says he saw five buildings “collapsed vertically in front of my eyes”. In total, he saw around 30 collapsed buildings in the vicinity.

Hector Moran Cirkovic said many of the roads were blocked or too badly damaged to drive on. Photograph: Hector Moran Cirkovic

One of the buildings they saw collapse was the twin 13-floor building next to the one where they have a beach flat.

“We used to play there when we were kids; it’s really shocking. We know people from there. It was brutal and very fast. There weren’t even five seconds to leave. Everybody [around them] was shouting and in shock, thinking life is over. There was lots of fear, panic and hysteria, but we were safe at the club.”

He said the electricity and internet went down, and after the family stayed by the beach “for about four hours,” then decided to drive back in two cars to their home in Santa Monica, southwest of Caracas.

The 13-floor building that collapsed in the earthquake. Photograph: Hector Moran Cirkovic

“Most roads were blocked but we found a gap and managed to leave the area,” he said.

The highway to Caracas was “unviable”, so they took small roads until they got home several hours later.

“While we were driving we destroyed buildings and bodies on the road.”

Hector said he stayed cool but “lost it” on Thursday morning.

“I couldn’t help crying, I grew up there, right in front of those flats and the beach club” he said. “My father was a founder member.”

Hector Moran Cirkovic’s home in Caracas was ‘messed up’ with stuff brioke, but was not badly damaged. Photograph: Hector Moran Cirkovic

In Caracas, his family’s home was not badly damaged: the lift was stuck, “lots of stuff broken”, and their piano had travelled from one side of the room to the other.

He said there is an atmosphere of tension and fear.

“There is lots of destruction. People are very scared, and some are panic-buying. The roads are quiet. Electricity is patchy. People were on the street either tidying up or patching the streets to make them drivable, and some are sleeping in their cars or just on chairs in the street.”

Claudia Sheinbaum, president of Mexico, told the Associated Press that Mexico was sending a team of military rescue workers and medical personnel to Venezuela on Thursday.

“Mexico is always and will be in solidarity,” Sheinbaum posted on X.

Canada will provide humanitarian assistance to support Venezuela in the aftermath of the earthquakes, Canadian prime minister Mark Carney posted on X.

“On behalf of Canadians, I offer my sincere condolences to the loved ones of those who were lost. My thoughts are with everyone who has been injured or displaced and with the first responders working tirelessly to save lives,” Carney said.

“Canada is preparing humanitarian assistance to support Venezuelans in the days and weeks ahead.”

The Guardian’s Lucy Hough with the Today in Focus podcast speaks to Latin America correspondent Tom Phillips about rescue efforts and a state of emergency in Venezuela. Have a listen:

Front loop: TiF Latest TP

ShareOxfam: Destruction could worsen living conditions for millions already in need in Venezuela

An estimated 7.9m people in Venezuela were in need of humanitarian assistance as of early 2026, Oxfam said Thursday, with the charity warning that the current situation after the earthquakes will likely worse those conditions.

“This event compounds an already severe humanitarian crisis,” said Magnus Corfixen, humanitarian lead at Oxfam.

Corfixen said that Oxfam’s partners have already begun conducting initial assessments to “determine the extent of the damage and the most urgent needs of the affected communities”.

“At Oxfam, we will activate our solidarity mechanisms to support the humanitarian response, in coordination with our local partners and in accordance with our operational capacities,” Corfixen said. “We reaffirm our commitment to supporting the most affected populations, prioritizing relevant, timely, and community-centered actions.”

The US defence department “stands ready” to support Venezuela and the US state department in the aftermath of the earthquakes, Sean Parnell, a spokesman for the Pentagon, posted on X.

“Our forces are prepared to move quickly, bringing the unmatched airlift, logistics, and operational capabilities of the US military to help save lives and support the government of Venezuela during this crisis,” Parnell said.

Switzerland is deploying a rescue team and tonnes of equipment to Venezuela to aid in the aftermath of two devastating earthquakes, AFP reports.

The Swiss rescue chain – which is comprised of 80 members, eight rescue dogs and 18 tonnes of rescue equipment – has been mobilised, with deployment planned for Thursday night, the Swiss foreign ministry said.

“The mission of the Swiss rescue chain is to search for, extricate, and rescue victims buried under the rubble,” the foreign ministry said.

Here is a look at all the previous earthquakes to hit Venezuela and its neighbours, scaled by magnitude:

A dot map of earthquakes over a map of Venezuela and its neighbours with each dot showing the different magnitude of each quake. Share

Here is the terrifying scene at Maiquetia airport in Venezuela when one of the earthquakes struck:

‘It’s shaking!’: inside Venezuelan airport struck by earthquake – video

Jane Clinton

Nelson Hidalgo, 38, who lives on the first floor of a 13-storey building in Maracay, a city in north-central Venezuela, about 109 km (68 miles) south west of Caracas, says he was trying to help his mother down the stairs when the second earthquake struck.

“I was with my mother and her carer, and we just tried to rush downstairs, but my mother has reduced mobility,” he said. “During the second earthquake, we were going down the stairs, and the wall started collapsing, it felt like a movie.”

Damage to Nelson’s apartment building following the earthquakes. Photograph: Julia Reina

Hidalgo, who is a mechanical engineer, says they left their home in such haste that he was barefoot. They stayed at their mother’s carer’s home, which suffered no damage.

He returned to the building on Thursday to get some basic belongings, but he is not sure to what extent the building is damaged.

“My building has suffered; we still don’t know if the damage is just superficial or structural,” he said. “We are just worried, especially for the people in La Guaira.”

Damage to Nelson’s apartment building following the earthquakes. Photograph: Julia ReinaSharePope sends emergency aid of 100,000 euros to Venezuela

The Vatican announced on Thursday that Pope Leo XIV has sent emergency aid of 100,000 euros ($114,000) to Venezuela as it reels in the aftermath of two powerful earthquakes, AFP reports.

The funds come from the apostolic almonry, an office at the Vatican responsible for the pope’s charity and aid to populations in difficulty.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil expressed his country’s “determination” to support the government of Venezuela in its recovery efforts.

Lula said on X that he had instructed Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to assess the situation in Venezuela “and to evaluate what assistance measures Brazil might adopt.”

“I reaffirm our determination to support the government of acting-president Delcy Rodríguez in the recovery of affected areas in this sister nation, whose people have demonstrated great resilience in the face of adversity,” he wrote.

A view of the remains of a building damaged by earthquakes that hit Caracas, Venezuela, today.

A view of the remains of a building damaged by earthquakes that hit the country, in Caracas, Venezuela, June 25, 2026. Photograph: Fausto Torrealba/ReutersShare

The head of the UN’s humanitarian agency, Tom Fletcher, said the organisation is “fully mobilised” to provide assistance in Venezuela, adding that “the coming days will require a massive collective effort to support the government-led response and help communities”.

In a statement, he said:

double quotation markEven before these earthquakes, nearly 8 million people in Venezuela were in need of humanitarian support. This disaster risks deepening existing vulnerabilities.

Sustained international support for humanitarian organizations responding on the ground is essential and urgent.”

ShareMore than 100 buildings collapsed in La Guaira – UN

The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) reported more than 100 buildings collapsed in La Guaira, a small coastal state north of Caracas that was hardest hit by the earthquakes.

The level of devastation is overwhelming local authorities, Ocha said in its latest disaster response report, designating the affected area as a priority for international rescue teams.

It said: “Although the scale of casualties and humanitarian needs remains unclear it is clear the damage was severe. La Guaira state where the main airport is located has been declared a disaster zone. Early reporting indicates that casualties could be significant and further aftershocks are possible.”

A man inspects a collapsed apartment building following an earthquake in Catia La Mar, La Guaira state, Venezuela. Photograph: Federico Parra/AFP/Getty ImagesShare

Updated at 09.15 EDT

The Netherlands said it would be sending a team of rescue workers to help Venezuela, after the country was struck by its strongest earthquake in more than a century.

“The needs are immense,” foreign trade minister Sjoerd Sjoerdsma said in a statement, announcing 2m euro aid package to deploy a search and rescue team that includes rescue workers and dogs and equipment.

Venezuela earthquakes: ‘intensive’ search for survivors as death toll rises to 188 – latest updates | Venezuela