Venezuela Earthquakes Kill More Than 1,400

Two powerful earthquakes struck northern Venezuela within seconds of each other on the evening of June 24, killing at least 1,430 people as of Saturday and leaving rescuers racing to find survivors buried beneath collapsed buildings across the capital and the coast.

The first earthquake, measuring magnitude 7.2, struck near Yumare, in Yaracuy state, at 6:04 p.m. local time and was classified as a foreshock. It was followed 39 seconds later by a 7.5-magnitude mainshock that was the strongest tremor to hit the country in more than 125 years. At least 3,200 people have been injured, and 13 hospitals were damaged across the country.

Damage was concentrated in La Guaira and Caracas, where dozens of buildings collapsed. Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello identified the Los Palos Grandes and Altamira neighborhoods as the worst-affected parts of the city. In La Guaira, volunteers dug through wreckage with their hands nearly 24 hours after the earthquakes, facing a shortage of heavy equipment and very limited government assistance.

The disaster compounds an already severe crisis:. With nearly 8 million people inside Venezuela were already in need of urgent humanitarian support before the earthquakes struck.

The United States announced $150 million in aid, deploying search-and-rescue teams and directing the amphibious transport ship USS Fort Lauderdale and the USS Billings to support relief operations. Colombia announced it would send more than 60 rescuers and four search dogs, while Spain said it would deploy a field hospital. The United Nations coordinated the rapid deployment of urban search-and-rescue teams to Venezuela.

 

Trump Declares Venezuela Airspace Closed as Tensions Mount

President Donald Trump’s Truth Social post declaring Venezuela’s airspace “closed in its entirety” has escalated the standoff with Nicolás Maduro’s government, which denounced it as a “colonialist threat” to its sovereignty. The statement follows U.S. Federal Aviation Administration warnings of heightened risks from military activity and GPS interference, prompting airlines to cancel flights.

In retaliation, Venezuela revoked operating permits for six foreign carriers, accusing them of aiding U.S. “state terrorism.” This comes amid a major U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean, including the deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group and additional warships, aircraft, and troops to interdict drug shipments and pressure Maduro over alleged “narco-terrorist” ties.

Officials describe an upcoming “phase” blending covert and overt actions against drug networks, while avoiding explicit regime-change rhetoric. The operations have involved lethal strikes on suspected drug vessels, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirming three attacks in the Eastern Pacific that killed 14 people, leaving one survivor. Reports of earlier Caribbean strikes, including a second hit on survivors, have drawn human rights scrutiny and congressional probes over legality and targeting.

Maduro frames the pressure as a prelude to invasion but has signaled willingness for direct talks with Trump to de-escalate. Regional neighbors, strained by Venezuelan migration, now grapple with potential U.S.-Venezuelan conflict.

 

Trump Administration May Be Eyeing Venezuela Military Targets

The United States is reportedly poised to launch military strikes against Venezuelan targets, aiming to pressure President Nicolas Maduro’s regime, which is accused of running a major drug cartel.

Unnamed sources told the Miami Herald that U.S. strikes could target military facilities “at any moment,” although President Trump has not publicly confirmed a final decision. The Trump administration has also conducted at least 14 operations against small vessels, claiming these actions target drug trafficking.

Tensions are escalating as U.S. forces deploy near Venezuela, and international concern is growing over potential conflict.