Two powerful earthquakes strike Venezuela, destroying buildings

1 hour ago 7

Magnitude-7.2,7.5 quakes struck the same area

Author of the article:

Published Jun 24, 2026 • 1 minute read

The earthquake caused some buildings in Venezuela to collapse.

CARACAS — Two earthquakes of magnitude-7.2 and -7.5 struck the same area of Venezuela on Wednesday evening, causing buildings to collapse, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and AFP journalists.

Advertisement 2

THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.

Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.
Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.
Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.
Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.
Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.

SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES

Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.

Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.
Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.
Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.
Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.
Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.

Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.

Access articles from across Canada with one account.
Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.
Enjoy additional articles per month.
Get email updates from your favourite authors.

THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.

Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.

Access articles from across Canada with one account
Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments
Enjoy additional articles per month
Get email updates from your favourite authors

Article content

The quakes drove residents of the capital, Caracas, into the streets.

Article content

It remains unknown whether the incident caused fatalities, but some buildings collapsed and roofs crumbled, according to Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello.

“The stairs came away, the whole wall cracked. Things fell from the ceiling. It was horrible,” said 54-year-old bank employee Odalis Escalona in Caracas.

The first quake, with an epicentre 21 km west of the coastal town of Moron, occurred at 2204 GMT, USGS said. Within a minute, a 7.5-magnitude quake struck about 45 km away.

“This earthquake was the second event in a doublet. This magnitude-7.5 mainshock was preceded by 39 seconds by a 7.2 foreshock,” USGS said.

Cabello asked people to leave their homes, adding that gas supplies had been cut to several buildings as a precaution.

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

With a depth of 10 km, the second tremor prompted screams of panic at a shopping center in Caracas, an AFP journalist observed.

“It was unbelievable, I don’t even know how long it lasted,” said shopkeeper Heidi Romero, who was on the top floor of the shopping centre when the quake struck.

“We went out through the emergency stairs, that’s how they got us out,” the 42-year-old told AFP.

Dozens more in the capital exited buildings and waited outside before returning to their offices and homes.

Article content

*** Disclaimer: This Article is auto-aggregated by a Rss Api Program and has not been created or edited by Bdtype.

(Note: This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News Rss Api. News.bdtype.com Staff may not have modified or edited the content body.

Please visit the Source Website that deserves the credit and responsibility for creating this content.)

Watch Live | Source Article