By Mark Tanos
The death toll from the back-to-back earthquakes that flattened buildings across northern Venezuela has climbed past 900, with thousands more hurt and rescue crews still clawing through rubble.
At least 920 people have died, and 3,360 have been injured, National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez — brother of Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez — said Friday, according to Yahoo News. He cautioned that the count will likely keep rising as searchers reach areas cut off since the disaster.
A 7.2 magnitude quake hit west of Caracas near the town of Morón on Wednesday evening, followed 39 seconds later by a stronger 7.5 magnitude shock, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported. The pair ranks among the most powerful to strike the country in more than a century. (RELATED: State Of Emergency Declared, Casualties Confirmed After Double Earthquake Devastates Venezuela)
USGS modeling had warned of far worse, placing the odds of at least 10,000 fatalities at 42%. That projection remains a statistical estimate rather than a confirmed figure.
The coastal state of La Guaira took the heaviest damage and has since been placed under military control as crews hunt for survivors, Yahoo News reported. A website tracking missing persons listed more than 46,000 names, though officials have not verified that number. Reuters reports upwards of 50,000 remain missing, and that the U.S. Geological Survey believes the death toll could reach over 10,000.
At least 920 are dead and more than 3,000 injured in Venezuela, top lawmaker says, as rescuers race to find earthquake victims. Follow live updates. https://t.co/a5xG9gVtAS pic.twitter.com/zN5EzhxoY5
— CNN (@CNN) June 26, 2026
At least 18 foreign nationals were among the dead, including nine from Portugal, three from Spain, two from Brazil, two from China, and two from Chile, ABC News reported.
The first U.S. search-and-rescue plane landed Friday, carrying an 80-member crew of firefighters, doctors, structural engineers, and canine teams, according to ABC News. Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered the deployment at President Donald Trump’s direction.
The catastrophe lands on a country already gripped by economic collapse and a strained health system, NPR reported. It also tests Washington’s footing in Venezuela five months after U.S. forces seized former dictator Nicolás Maduro in a Caracas raid.
