Iran FM says had 'productive call' with Omani FM
IMF says working with Venezuelan authorities as they assess needs after earthquakes
The International Monetary Fund said it was monitoring developments in Venezuela after two powerful earthquakes hit the country, with thousands feared dead, and would remain engaged with Venezuelan authorities as they assessed their needs.
IMF spokeswoman Julie Kozack told reporters that the global lender was not involved in the debt restructuring announced by Venezuela, but remained in contact with authorities there on the country's macroeconomic outlook.
She said the IMF stood ready to assist with the debt restructuring as needed.
Pope sends 100,000 euros in aid to Venezuela
Pope Leo XIV sent "initial" emergency aid of 100,000 euros ($114,000) to earthquake-hit Venezuela, the Vatican said.
The funds will come from the Apostolic Almonry, the Vatican office responsible for the pope's charity and aid to populations in difficulty.
It constitutes "an initial contribution" intended to support emergency relief efforts, said Vatican News, the Vatican's official news site.
Venezuela quake response requires 'massive collective effort', says UN aid chief
The United Nations is "fully mobilised" to provide assistance in quake-hit Venezuela, the UN aid chief said, stressing the response would require "massive collective efforts".
"We are fully mobilised to support the people of Venezuela," Tom Fletcher said in a statement, adding that "the coming days will require a massive collective effort to support the Government-led response and help communities".
Petrochemical complex in Venezuela restarting following quake, firefighters say
Venezuela's Moron Petrochemical Complex, the country's second largest in operation, was restarting after a preventive shutdown due to quakes that affected the area, leaving infrastructure damages, the chief of firefighters in that area said.
Workers from the complex had been told not to come in while an initial assessment on damages was conducted, sources from that center had said earlier, adding that a leak from a storage tank had been detected on Wednesday.
🎥 New footage of the damage in the state of La Guaira
How powerful were the quakes?
The US Geological Survey initially said the first earthquake had a magnitude of 7.1, later revising that to 7.2.
Its epicenter was west of Moron on the country’s Caribbean coast, about 168 kilometers (104 miles) west of Caracas. The quake had a depth of 22 kilometers (13.6 miles).
The USGS reported an even larger 7.5-magnitude earthquake just a minute later. The second quake had a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) with an epicenter 16 kilometers (10 miles) southwest of Moron.
What do we know about casualties?
Acting President Delcy Rodriguez said the quake killed at least 32 people and injured at least 700, though warning that the toll was expected to rise as rescue workers reach collapsed buildings in the Caracas region and other areas hit by the quakes.
Rodriguez said casualty figures excluded the state of La Guaira, which she described as a “disaster zone” and the area hardest hit.
People ride past a collapsed building after an earthquake, in La Guaira, Venezuela, June 24, 2026 © Maxwell Briceno, Reuters
Netherlands sending rescue team to quake-hit Venezuela
The Netherlands said it would be sending a team of rescue workers to help Venezuela, after the country was struck by its strongest earthquake in more than a century.
"The needs are immense," Foreign Trade Minister Sjoerd Sjoerdsma said in a statement, announcing a two-million-euro aid package to deploy a search and rescue team that includes rescue workers and dogs and equipment.
Iran says ready to assist Venezuela with quake relief operations
Iran has also said it is ready to help with rescue and relief operations in Venezuela.
Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei in a statement "announced Iran's readiness to provide any assistance required in relief and rescue operations", while expressing "solidarity with the government and people of Venezuela".
Rubio promises 'big, fast, effective' US response to Venezuela earthquake
The US will provide a "whole-of-government" response to Venezuela's eathquakes, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said.
"So we have a whole-of-government response. It'll be big, it'll be fast, and it'll be effective," he told reporters during a visit to Bahrain, saying the Department of War would play a "big logistical role".
Venezuela region hit hardest by quakes cries for help
In the city of Catia La Mar on Venezuela's coast, shell-shocked residents are struggling to come to terms with the scale of the devastation.
"It was terrible. Everything, everything collapsed," 39-year-old woman Yilsmaris Blanco told AFP, recalling the quakes that levelled dozens of buildings.
"We thank God because ... we're alive, but there are people right now suffering with their relatives buried, with their relatives crushed and they can't get them out."
A vehicle is trapped in a fissure caused by an earthquake in La Guaira. © Javier Campos
The government's initial death toll does not include data from La Guaira — designated a "disaster area" — which is also home to the capital's international airport.
"We have nothing, right now we have nothing, not even the strength or the courage to go in there, just imagine," said Larry Rojas, 49, standing in front of a collapsed building where his family was trapped.
People receive treatment at a field hospital in La Guaira. © Maxwell Briceno, Reuters
"What we need is help, above all technical help," said Jose Pacheco, operations chief of the United Rescue Group of Venezuela.
"The teams that are in Caracas who know what (tools) to use and can come help here in La Guaira, they should come."
🎥 US quake monitor says death toll could run into the thousands
Using predictive modeling, the US Geological Survey, has estimated that the death toll will most likely run into the thousands, with a substantial probability of it exceeding 10,000.
Daniela Blandon, a journalist in FRANCE 24’s newsroom in Bogota, brings us the latest.
Switzerland sending 80 rescue workers to quake-hit Venezuela
Switzerland's government says it is sending a large rescue team and tonnes of rescue equipment to Venezuela.
The government said in a statement that it had mobilised "the Swiss Rescue Chain, comprised of 80 members, eight rescue dogs and 18 tonnes of rescue equipment", to be sent to Venezuela "as soon as possible".
At least 164 dead and nearly 1,000 injured after twin quakes, says Venezuela's acting leader
At least 164 people have died and nearly 1,000 were injured after a pair of powerful quakes rocked Venezuela, acting President Delcy Rodríguez said, adding that rescue teams are rushing to the hardest-hit areas to free people trapped under rubble.
Wednesday evening’s 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes were among the strongest to strike Venezuela in more than a century and could be felt throughout the region. The country's main airport was damaged and closed, while buildings were evacuated in places as far away as Brazil’s Amazon, about 1,700 kilometers (1,050 miles) from Venezuela’s capital, Caracas.
- How powerful were the quakes?
- What do we know about casualties?
- Caracas airport, subway and schools closed
- Venezuela quake most powerful to hit country since 1900
- Venezuela must unblock social media access, say UN experts
- At least 164 dead and nearly 1,000 injured after twin quakes, says Venezuela's acting leader
🎥 'We're expecting a high death toll'
Noris Argotte Soto, a journalist based in Caracas, brings us the latest from the Venezuelan capital.
Severe damage to buildings in Venezuela's quake-hit La Guaira
Venezuela's twin earthquakes have left dozens of buildings collapsed or heavily damaged in La Guaira state, according to an AFP reporter who saw at least two people dead.
Interim leader Delcy Rodriguez earlier said a provisional death toll did not include victims in the hardest-hit La Guaira area, which lies near the capital Caracas and has been designated a disaster zone.
The coastal city of Catia La Mar was without electricity, and many residents were spending the night in the streets or searching for people among the rubble, according to AFP reporters on the ground.
People receive treatment in a field hospital in La Guaira. © Maxwell Briceno, Reuters.
Some residential buildings showed large cracks and fallen walls, with dozens of others destroyed.
"You can see the structures as they are, like this one here that is totally collapsed," Jose Pacheco, operations chief of the United Rescue Group of Venezuela, said, calling for "technical equipment" to help with relief efforts.
"The teams that are in Caracas who know what (tools) to use and can come help here in La Guaira, they should come, because what we need here is that human support," Pacheco told AFP.
Germany offers military transport planes to Venezuela
Germany is ready to deploy six military aircraft to help with relief efforts in Venezuela after twin earthquakes killed dozens of people and injured hundreds, the defence minister has said.
"The German armed forces stands ready and can make up to six A400M transport aircraft available at short notice as soon as support is requested from us," said Boris Pistorius in a statement.
Venezuela must unblock social media access, say UN experts
Venezuela must "immediately" unblock access to social media and news outlets, amid a "life and death" scramble for information, UN experts have said.
"For a country already facing enormous challenges this is a devastating blow," said a statement from The United Nations's Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela.
They urged authorities to allow human rights to "guide all aspects of the national and international response to this immense tragedy.
"As a critical first step, it is vital that CONATEL, the country's telecommunications regulator, fully unblock access to social media and all media outlets," they added.
