President Donald Trump pledged rapid U.S. assistance Wednesday night after two powerful earthquakes ripped through Venezuela, killing at least 164 people, injuring nearly 1,000 more and triggering what seismologists warned could become one of the country’s deadliest natural disasters in decades.
The twin earthquakes struck just 39 seconds apart, leveling buildings, trapping residents beneath collapsed structures and sending rescue crews racing through devastated neighborhoods as officials struggled to determine the full scale of the catastrophe.
Late Wednesday, Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez announced that at least 164 people had been killed and more than 971 others injured, warning the toll was expected to rise as emergency crews reached hard-hit areas.
Trump addressed the disaster in a Truth Social post, calling the back-to-back quakes “massive” and expressing condolences for the Venezuelan people.
“The two major earthquakes that just hit the great people of Venezuela are both massive in scale and have left a devastating number of deaths,” Trump wrote.
The president also pledged that the United States stood ready to assist with rescue and recovery efforts.
“The U.S.A. stands ready, willing, and able to help!” Trump wrote. “I have instructed all agencies of our government to get ready to move quickly. We will be there for our new and great friends.”
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 25, 2026
Trump added that preliminary reports coming out of Venezuela were “not good.”
According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the first earthquake—a magnitude 7.2—struck at 6:04 p.m. ET with an epicenter roughly 15 miles east-northeast of San Felipe.
Just 39 seconds later, an even stronger magnitude 7.5 quake struck approximately 14 miles southeast of Yumare, intensifying the destruction before residents had time to react to the initial shock.
The powerful sequence caused widespread structural damage across central and northern Venezuela, including in the capital city of Caracas, where buildings sustained damage and emergency responders searched through piles of debris for survivors.
The USGS issued its highest-level “red alert,” indicating that widespread fatalities and catastrophic damage were likely.
“High casualties and extensive damage are probable, and the disaster is likely widespread,” the agency said in its alert.
Red alerts from the USGS are rare and are reserved for earthquakes expected to produce severe humanitarian impacts and significant economic losses.
Emergency officials continued search-and-rescue operations late into the night, while hospitals treated hundreds of injured residents and authorities warned that casualty figures could increase substantially as crews reached isolated communities and searched collapsed buildings.
This story is developing…
Over a hundred people are dead after two powerful earthquakes devastated Venezuela, with officials warning the death toll is expected to rise.
Dramatic video shows a home collapsing in El Junquito as terrified residents run for cover.
Rescue crews are still searching collapsed… pic.twitter.com/flEgJax6ID
— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 25, 2026
