Two massive earthquakes struck Venezuela within 39 seconds of each other on the evening of June 24, with at least 589 people confirmed dead by June 26 and 68,900 listed as missing, in what the United States Geological Survey described as the strongest seismic event in the country in more than 125 years.
The first quake measured magnitude 7.2. The mainshock, at 7.5, followed 39 seconds later, with its epicentre in San Felipe in Yaracuy state. The USGS's automated impact assessment warned the final death toll could ultimately exceed 100,000 as rescue teams continued working through collapsed buildings in densely populated areas.
The hardest-hit area was La Guaira, the densely populated port city north of Caracas. More than 1,400 buildings were destroyed there, according to local civil defence figures. Simón Bolívar International Airport, Caracas's main international gateway, was heavily damaged and closed to commercial traffic.
Tsunami warnings were issued for Puerto Rico and the wider Caribbean, though no destructive waves were reported. A magnitude 4.9 aftershock struck two days later on June 26.
The scale of the disaster was compounded by Venezuela's infrastructure, already severely degraded after years of economic crisis under the Maduro government. International rescue teams were mobilised from Mexico, Brazil, Cuba, and the United States, but access to the worst-affected areas was complicated by airport damage and road closures.
More than 3,200 people were confirmed injured. The figure of 68,900 missing reflects the collapse of densely populated urban structures in both Caracas and La Guaira, where search and rescue operations were still under way as of June 26.
It was the deadliest natural disaster in Venezuela's recorded history.
