Spain Voices Solidarity with Venezuela After Devastating Earthquakes

The Spanish government has expressed solidarity with Venezuela following two powerful earthquakes that struck northern Venezuela on the evening of June 24. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez wrote on the social network X: "Our thoughts are with the victims and their families." The Royal Household also expressed its grief, solidarity, and support for the people of Venezuela.

Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares reported that the Spanish embassy and consulate in Caracas are "fully operational" and are monitoring the situation of Spanish citizens living in the country. The Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) is "ready to provide all necessary emergency assistance." The Spanish government is in contact with the Venezuelan authorities to assess needs and has confirmed its "full readiness to send all necessary emergency aid."

The Largest Earthquake in Venezuela in the Last 100 Years

On Wednesday, June 24, the north of Venezuela was shaken by two powerful earthquakes. The first tremor, with a magnitude of 7.2, occurred at 6:04 p.m. local time — the epicenter was located near the city of San Felipe in Yaracuy state, about 280 kilometers west of Caracas. Forty seconds later came the main earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.5 and an epicenter in the area of the city of Yumare, slightly to the north. 

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), this is the strongest earthquake in Venezuela in more than 100 years — since the San Narciso earthquake of October 29, 1900, with a magnitude of 7.7. At that time, 21 people died in Caracas. The USGS warns that the current disaster may turn out to be considerably more deadly, and that new strong aftershocks cannot be ruled out.

Venezuela is located at the junction of the South American and Caribbean tectonic plates, so seismic activity here is not uncommon: earthquakes of magnitude 7.3 in 2018 and 7.0 in 1997 were previously recorded.

The Aftermath of the Earthquakes in Venezuela

According to the latest data from Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodríguez, at least 32 people have died and more than 700 have been injured. The statistics do not yet include data from La Guaira state — the worst-affected region, declared a disaster zone with dozens of collapsed buildings.

Videos from Caracas and La Guaira have spread across social media showing completely collapsed houses, frightened and injured people, and large-scale destruction of entire neighborhoods. At the airport in the city of Maiquetía, light fixtures fell from the ceiling at the moment of the tremors, and dozens of people fled in panic. 

Immediately after the earthquakes, electricity and internet went out in many districts of Caracas, La Guaira, and other states. Gas supplies have been shut off as a precaution. The Caracas metro, railways, and water supply have ceased operating. Classes at schools and universities have been cancelled for the coming days.

The day of the earthquake coincided with a public holiday — the anniversary of the Battle of Carabobo — so most people were at home rather than at work.

Rescue teams from the United States, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Mexico, and Qatar are already heading to Venezuela. Ecuador, Bolivia, Brazil, and Colombia have also expressed their readiness to help. US President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social: "We will be there for our new and great friends."