On Thursday, June 25, 2026, rescue crews raced to northern districts affected by two strong earthquakes that killed about 235 people and injured at least 4300. Venezuelans are still looking for survivors beneath collapsed structures. Health Minister Carlos Alvarado told state media on Thursday, “Unfortunately, we have received about 235 patients who arrive without vital signs or die when they arrive at our health facilities.”
Following the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes that occurred on Wednesday evening. These were among the strongest in Venezuela in more than a century and felt throughout the region. The number of fatalities and injuries is predicted to increase, with thousands reported missing. Buildings as far away as Brazil’s Amazon were evacuated, and thousands of people were reported missing.
Key points: Earthquake in Venezuela
First Venezuela earthquake magnitude: The US Geological Survey (USGS) reports that at 03:34:33, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 struck west of Moron on the Caribbean coast. It was approximately 170 kilometres (105 miles) west of Carcas. It was 22 kilometres (roughly 14 miles) deep.
Second earthquake magnitude: A minute later, USGS reported a second earthquake of magnitude 7.5. The epicentre was 16 kilometres (10 miles) southwest of Moron and a depth of 10 kilometres (roughly 6 miles).
Earthquake alert network created using Android smartphones
According to a Google representative, the company’s Android Earthquake Alerts System identified the first seismic activity in Venezuela. It warned users just seconds before the earthquakes hit the South American nation on Wednesday night. The number of users who received the alerts was not disclosed by the official.
Since 2020, the system has been utilised to identify and alert users to earthquakes in numerous nations. This feature is integrated into the majority of Android phones. A peer-reviewed assessment of its performance, funded by Google and published in the journal Science, has found that it can detect and warn of earthquakes at a scale comparable to established national seismic networks.
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