Venezuela earthquake death toll continues to climb, reaches 3,535

The death toll from the earthquake in Venezuela has risen to 3,535, while 16,740 people have been injured, Speaker of the National Assembly Jorge Rodríguez said on July 6 in a post on Telegram.

In addition, authorities have so far confirmed that 6,462 people have been rescued

On the evening of June 24, 2026, two powerful earthquakes struck north-central Venezuela in quick succession, forming a rare "doublet" event.

The first quake, a magnitude 7.2 foreshock, hit at around 18:04 local time (VET) near the Veroes Municipality in Yaracuy state, west of San Felipe and about 160-170 km west of Caracas, at a depth of roughly 20-22 km. 

Just 39 seconds later, a stronger magnitude 7.5 mainshock struck in nearly the same area (around 10 km depth), causing intense shaking that was felt across much of the country and neighbouring regions.

These were the strongest earthquakes to hit Venezuela in over a century, linked to strike-slip faulting near the San Sebastián fault system along the Caribbean plate boundary, leading to widespread building collapses, especially in La Guaira and Caracas.

By Jeyhun Aghazada