On June 24, Venezuela was struck by two back-to-back powerful earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude, causing catastrophic structural damage across the capital city of Caracas and other northern regions. According to reports from Reuters, the epicenters were located off the Caribbean coast, approximately 28 and 16 kilometers near the city of Morón, at shallow depths ranging from 10 to 13 kilometers. Venezuela’s Ministry of Internal Affairs confirmed the collapse of numerous residential buildings and civic facilities. A national state of emergency has been officially declared; while exact casualty figures remain unconfirmed, initial demographic models by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) estimate potential fatalities could be high.

Acting President Delcy Rodríguez announced that the two mainshocks were followed by over 20 smaller aftershocks, forcing the temporary closure of Caracas International Airport due to terminal damage, with additional destruction reported in the port city of La Guaira. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center initially issued local tsunami warnings for Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and nearby Caribbean islands, which were lifted an hour later. Geologically, Venezuela remains highly vulnerable as it sits directly atop the volatile boundary intersecting the Caribbean and South American tectonic plates.

Simultaneously, during the overnight hours of June 25, another major earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 (registered as 6.9 by the USGS) struck off the northeastern coast of Honshu, Japan. The oceanic epicenter was located in the Pacific Ocean, roughly 67 kilometers southeast of Hachinohe in Aomori Prefecture. As of the latest operational updates, no official civilian casualties or critical infrastructure damages have been reported from the Japanese coastal areas.