Venezuela quake death toll rises as thousands remain missing

Rescuers in Venezuela were still digging through collapsed homes and apartment buildings as the death toll from twin earthquakes climbed above 1,700 and tens of thousands of people remained presumed missing. Five days after the disaster, the window for finding survivors was narrowing fast.

The first jolt, a magnitude 7.2 foreshock, hit on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, followed 39 seconds later by a magnitude 7.5 mainshock west of Caracas near Yumare in northern Venezuela. The U.S. Geological Survey placed the quake at shallow depth along the Caribbean-South American plate boundary, where high casualties and widespread damage were probable. In the 250-kilometer area around the epicenter, the agency found there had been only seven magnitude 6 or larger earthquakes in the past century.

The confirmed death toll had reached at least 920 by June 26, with more than 3,300 injured, before climbing above 1,400. More than 200 aftershocks followed, adding to the danger for crews trying to move heavy debris and reach people trapped inside unstable buildings.

The response has drawn in foreign help. More than 300 American rescuers were on the ground in Venezuela, and the United States was deploying search teams, medical resources and humanitarian aid after Marco Rubio spoke with acting president Delcy Rodríguez.

In Caracas, families searched hospital lists for missing relatives while in La Guaira, one of the hardest-hit areas, residents picked through rubble for belongings and loved ones. Among the wreckage were remnants of ordinary life, including stuffed animals, a passport and a kindergarten graduation diploma, scattered beside collapsed homes and apartment buildings.