Summary

  1. Watch: BBC journalist on the ground reports on aftermath of quakespublished at 02:11 BST

    Media caption,

    BBC reporter in Caracas describes extensive damage

    Further to Vanessa's video of the moment when the quake struck, the journalist has described to us the aftermath of the tremor.

    The number of deaths and injuries is not yet known, she says, but she describes how her own neighbour broke her arm during the shaking.

  2. Watch: Moment earthquake shakes BBC journalist's homepublished at 02:01 BST

    Media caption,

    Moment BBC reporter's apartment shakes

    "Oh God! Oh God!" exclaims BBC reporter Vanessa Silva as the earthquake hits her home in Caracas.

    A chandelier - and the apartment itself - can be seen shaking while a rumbling is heard in the background.

  3. What we know so far about the quakepublished at 01:52 BST

    A municipal working stands in front of a collapsed building as rescue workers evacuate an injured person following an earthquake in Caracas on 24 June.Image source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Rescue workers evacuate an injured person from a collapsed building following an earthquake in Caracas on 24 June 24.

    If you're just joining us, here's a round-up of what's happened so far:

    • Two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday evening under a minute apart
    • The first 7.2-magnitude quake was centred in San Felipe, in the state of Yaracuy
    • It was followed by a stronger earthquake just 39 seconds later, with that one registering a 7.5 magnitude, the US Geological Survey says
    • It's still unclear how many casualties there have been and what the extent of the damage will be
    • The USGS says high casualties and extensive damage are probable with a 44% chance of more than 10,000 fatalities and a 30% chance of more than 100,000 following the second mainshock quake
    • The shaking was felt in Caracas, where buildings have collapsed, petrol supplies have been cut off and people are calling for help under the rubble
    • The interior minister has urged residents to leave their homes
  4. Watch: Inside Caracas resident's apartment moments after quakepublished at 01:47 BST

    Media caption,

    'Heaviest quake I've felt in Venezuela', says Caracas resident

    Cracked glass and smashed food containers litter the floor of one Caracas resident's home.

    Juan Arraez says this is the "heaviest quake I've felt in Venezuela".

  5. 'I thought the building was going to fall on top of me'published at 01:41 BST

    “It’s the strongest quake I’ve ever felt in my life,” journalist and BBC News Mundo contributor Nicole Kolster says.

    She was on the 7th floor of an apartment building in Palos Grandes, central Caracas, when the earthquake began.

    "I saw the windows moving and the only thing I could think to do was to get between the front door and a stone wall, which in my judgment is quite strong, to try to protect myself,” Kolster recounts.

    She stayed there “for quite a while,” until she heard neighbours shouting for everyone to go down to the street.

    "I thought the building was going to fall on top of me," she says.

  6. Quake struck on national holidaypublished at 01:25 BST

    Vanessa Buschschlüter
    Latin America and Caribbean editor

    A damaged apartment building is seen following an earthquake in CaracasImage source, Getty Images

    The first quake struck at 18:04 local time (22:04 GMT) which would normally have been the height of the rush hour.

    But 24 June is a national holiday in Venezuela, commemorating the 1821 Battle of Carabobo, a decisive victory by Venezuelan independence leader Simón Bolívar against the Spanish colonial power.

    More people than usual would therefore have been at home than on a normal weekday.

    Footage shared on social media showed residents rushing into the streets.

    In one video two men can be seen trying to hold on to a swaying vitrine full of china, while items crash to the floor.

    You can also get live updates on BBC News Mundo, our Spanish language website.

  7. Interior minister asks Venezuelans to leave homes amid gas warningpublished at 01:22 BST

    Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello has asked people to leave their homes, AFP reports. Cabello says that petrol supplies to several building have been preemptively cut as a precaution.

    "We have some damaged structures and we don't want any kind of accident involving gas to occur," Cabello said.

  8. Where the second earthquake struckpublished at 01:20 BST

    A map showing the epicentre of the 7.5-magnitude earthquake whose epicentre is to the west of Caracas.Image source, US Geological Survey
    Image caption,

    The epicentre of the second earthquake is located about 23km southeast of Yumare in Venezuela.

  9. Caracas neighbourhoods hit by 1967 quake shook againpublished at 01:16 BST

    Vanessa Buschschlüter
    Latin America and Caribbean editor

    People run into a street following an earthquake in Caracas on June 24, 2026. A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Venezuela on Wednesday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported, triggering panic in CaraImage source, Getty Images

    This is not the first time the Venezuelan capital has been hit by a major earthquake.

    In 1967, more than 200 people died when a 6.6-magnitude quake struck Caracas, destroying buildings in the middle-class neighbourhood of Palos Grandes and the upper-class area of Altamira.

    Both of those neighbourhoods have again been affected by Wednesday's quake, with Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello telling state TV that "buildings have collapsed there".

    Like this time, in 1967 residents also reported feeling twin shocks.

  10. High casualties, aftershocks probable, USGS sayspublished at 01:08 BST

    The US Geological Survey (USGS) says high casualties and extensive damage are probable in Venezuela after back-to-back earthquakes rattled the capital and surrounding regions on Wednesday evening.

    "The disaster is likely widespread" and aftershocks with potentially strong shaking may follow, the USGS says.

    There's a 44% chance of more than 10,000 fatalities, a 30% chance of more than 100,000, according to the agency. And there's also a significant risk of landslides and liquefaction on the ground.

    Liquefaction is a phenomenon that afflicts loose sediments in an earthquake and is akin to a lateral landslide.

  11. Extent of damage from twin seismic events isn't yet clearpublished at 01:07 BST

    Will Grant
    North America correspondent

    The US geological survey reports that an initial 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck in the state of Carabobo, some 20km from the capital, Caracas.

    It was immediately followed by another main shock, which was registered at 7.5 magnitude.

    The twin seismic events caused building to sway and residents to take to the streets in fear.

    Videos posted to social media show some buildings have been cracked, badly damaged or collapsed and thousands of residents remain too worried about aftershocks to return to their apartments.

    The country’s interior minister, Diosdado Cabello, confirmed on state television that some buildings had collapsed.

    The tremor was felt as far away as the Colombian capital, Bogota.

    The extent of the damage still isn’t completely clear as the Venezuelan authorities continue to assess the worst affected areas.

  12. Venezuelan opposition leader sends 'infinite embrace' to countrypublished at 01:01 BST

    María Corina Machado, Nobel Peace prize winner and opposition leader of Venezuela, has issued a statement in the aftermath of the earthquake.

    "My heart, my infinite embrace, and my prayers are with every Venezuelan home in these hours of anguish," she writes in a post on X.

    "May strength, serenity, and solidarity prevail among us in the face of this difficult moment," she continues, adding "may God protect every Venezuelan, our families, and our homes. Today, more united than ever".

  13. Rescuers search the rubble of collapsed buildingspublished at 00:57 BST 25 June

    More pictures are coming in showing the devastation in parts of the capital.

    A motorcyclist rides past debris in Caracas, Venezuela, 24 June 2026. A 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck north-central Venezuela and was felt in Caracas and other parts of the country.Image source, EPA
    Image caption,

    A motorcyclist rides past debris in Caracas.

    Rescue workers and municipal police officers work at the site of a collapsed building following an earthquake in Caracas, Venezuela.Image source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Rescue workers and police officers work at the site of a collapsed building following the earthquake.

    A Bancaribe bank building collapsed and is surrounded by debris after the 7.1 earthquake.Image source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    A Bancaribe bank building collapsed during the earthquake.

    Municipal police officers evacuate an injured victim wearing a neck brace from a collapsed building following an earthquake in Caracas, Venezuela on 24 June 2026.Image source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Two police officers evacuate an injured victim from a collapsed building.

  14. 'I've never experienced anything like it,' witness sayspublished at 00:54 BST 25 June

    "Several walls in my building broke open or cracks formed," one witness tells Reuters.

    Another witness, Coro Martinez, who lives in eastern Caracas describes a "very loud crash" to the news agency.

    "Things fell in the house, jugs inside the refrigerator. I've never experienced anything like it," the 56-year-old says.

    Pensioner Maria Romero compares the earthquake to the deadly 1967 natural disaster in Caracas, saying this one was "even worse".

  15. Several Venezuelan states affected, interior minister sayspublished at 00:51 BST 25 June

    Vanessa Buschschlüter
    Latin America and Caribbean editor

    Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello tells state television that a number of Venezuelan states have been affected by the quake.

    "There was a seismic event, everything indicates that it had a magnitude much greater than seven," he said speaking via phone to VTV.

    “It has been strongly felt in Trujillo, Yaracuy, Carabobo, Aragua, Miranda, Caracas and La Guaira.”

    He adds that in the capital, Caracas, the neighbourhoods of Palos Grandes and Altamira were worst hit.

  16. A second earthquake with a 7.5 magnitude hits the regionpublished at 00:50 BST 25 June
    Breaking

    A second earthquake with a 7.5-magnitude has struck Venezuela about 39 seconds after a 7.2 quake rattled the region.

    The tremor's epicentre was 23km southeast of Yumare and about 10km deep, according to the US Geological Survey.

  17. Shock and debris in the streets of Caracaspublished at 00:41 BST 25 June

    Two men hug after the quake in front of a collapsed building.Image source, AFP via Getty Images.
    Image caption,

    Residents filled the streets after the quake reduced buildings to ruins.

    Debris from a collapsed building spreads across a road as rescue workers look on.Image source, AFP via Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Rescue workers search the rubble of a collapsed building in Venezuela's capital

    People gather on the streets of Caracas after evacuating buildings.Image source, EPA/Shutterstock
    Image caption,

    People gather on the streets of Caracas after evacuating buildings.

  18. Venezuela earthquake destroys buildings in capitalpublished at 00:33 BST 25 June

    A strong earthquake has struck Venezuela, destroying buildings in the capital of Caracas.

    Witnesses say they felt tremors from the 7.1 magnitude quake as far as neighbouring Colombia, according to the Reuters news agency.

    The quake struck the area of Montalbán at a depth of 13.2km at 18:04 local time (23:04 BST), according to the US Geological Survey (USGC).

    A tsunami warning was issued for Venezuela, the US Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands by the US Tsunami Warning System but has now been cancelled.

    Stay with us as we learn more.