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The 2026 Venezuela Earthquakes
Twin magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 shocks on June 24, 2026, that struck La Guaira and Caracas, the strongest in Venezuela since 1900
Shortly after 6 p.m. on June 24, 2026, a national holiday marking the Battle of Carabobo, two large earthquakes struck northern Venezuela about half a minute apart. The US Geological Survey rated the first at magnitude 7.2, centered near San Felipe in Yaracuy state, and the second at 7.5, centered near the coast west of Catia La Mar in La Guaira state, roughly 35 kilometers west of Caracas. The second shock was the strongest in Venezuela since the San Narciso earthquake of 1900. Shaking lasted well over a minute along the densely populated central coast. Buildings collapsed in Caracas and across La Guaira, the coastal state between the capital and the sea, which authorities identified as the hardest hit. The latest official toll, published in August 2026, was 6,509 dead.
The sequence ruptured the San Sebastián fault system, part of the chain of right-lateral strike-slip faults, with the Boconó and El Pilar faults, that marks the boundary where the Caribbean Plate moves east past the South American Plate at about 1 to 2 centimeters a year. The rupture began inland in Yaracuy and the main shock followed farther east near the coast, both at shallow depth. Severe damage struck the coastal towns of Catia La Mar, Maiquetía, Macuto, Caraballeda and Naiguatá, which sit on narrow strips of land between the coastal mountains and the sea. Simón Bolívar International Airport at Maiquetía was damaged and closed. In Caracas, apartment towers collapsed in eastern districts such as Altamira. Damage was also reported in Carabobo, Aragua, Yaracuy, Falcón and Miranda states. A Caribbean tsunami advisory was issued and then cancelled.
Official counts rose steadily for two months. On August 24, 2026, National Assembly president Jorge Rodríguez reported 6,509 dead, still the latest official update as of late September. Nearly 17,000 people had been reported injured by early August. The government has not published an official count of the missing. In early August the governor of La Guaira said relatives had reported about 1,579 people missing in that state alone, and independent groups and media have questioned whether official figures capture the full toll. Authorities reported nearly 200 buildings collapsed and more than 11,000 homes rated high risk. The government of acting president Delcy Rodríguez declared a state of emergency, and rescue and medical teams from dozens of countries took part. Loss estimates range from about 4.7 to 8.7 billion US dollars (UNDP) to more than 10 billion (Verisk).