MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, September 27th 2026 - 21:45 UTC

Tag: earthquake

  • Sunday, June 28th 2026 - 20:51 UTC

    Why Venezuela's earthquake was so deadly: shallow, powerful and just seconds apart

    The satellite images that have gradually emerged confirm a trail of collapsed buildings along the coast, the most densely populated and hardest-hit area

    The combination of two powerful, very shallow earthquakes just 39 seconds apart explains much of the devastation left by Wednesday's earthquake in north-central Venezuela, where the latest official toll exceeds 1,450 dead and 3,150 injured. The satellite images that have gradually emerged confirm a trail of collapsed buildings along the coast, the most densely populated and hardest-hit area.

  • Sunday, June 28th 2026 - 20:31 UTC

    Collapsed hospitals and morgues raise health fears in Venezuela's earthquake zone

    Authorities have restricted access to La Guaira to ease the entry of heavy machinery and specialized teams

    The emergency caused by the twin earthquake that struck north-central Venezuela on Wednesday is beginning to turn into a health risk, given the bodies that remain under the rubble and the collapse of hospitals and morgues in the worst-hit areas, particularly the coastal state of La Guaira. Authorities this weekend raised the toll to at least 1,450 dead and some 3,150 injured, a figure they warned would keep rising.

  • Saturday, June 27th 2026 - 09:21 UTC

    Venezuela's earthquake toll rises to at least 920 dead as rescuers race against time

    Despite the time elapsed, teams were still rescuing people alive

    The number of victims from the twin earthquake that struck north-central Venezuela on Wednesday rose to at least 920 dead and 3,360 injured, according to the toll given on Friday by the president of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, who specified that at least 172 people remain trapped under the rubble. Rescue teams worked against the clock more than 48 hours after the quakes, as the chances of finding survivors narrowed.

  • Friday, June 26th 2026 - 13:52 UTC

    Venezuela's quake death toll climbs to 589 as the rescue window narrows

    The World Health Organization recalled that the first 72 hours are decisive for finding victims alive

    The number of victims from the twin earthquake that struck north-central Venezuela on Wednesday rose to at least 589 dead and 2,980 injured, according to the toll given on Friday by acting President Delcy Rodríguez, who warned that the figure would keep rising. Rescue teams worked against the clock through the rubble as the first 72 hours —considered critical for finding survivors— drew to a close.

  • Thursday, June 25th 2026 - 21:51 UTC

    Fishermen film the first seconds of Venezuela's earthquake from the sea off La Guaira

    In the video the reaction of the fishermen and an unusual movement of the boats can be seen during the first seconds of the quake

    A group of fishermen working off the coast of La Guaira state captured on video the moment when the two earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 that shook Venezuela began on Wednesday and that, according to the latest official toll, left at least 164 dead and 971 injured. The footage, shared on social media, became one of the most widely circulated records of the catastrophe.

  • Thursday, June 25th 2026 - 09:30 UTC

    Two powerful earthquakes strike northern Venezuela and collapse buildings in Caracas

    The USGS described both quakes as a “seismic doublet,” a phenomenon in which two large-magnitude earthquakes occur seconds apart in the same area

    Two powerful earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5, about 39 seconds apart, struck north-central Venezuela on Wednesday afternoon, collapsing buildings in the capital, Caracas, and leaving rescue teams working through the rubble, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). Acting President Delcy Rodríguez declared a state of emergency, though she did not provide figures for the injured or dead.

  • Thursday, June 25th 2026 - 09:04 UTC

    Venezuela's earthquake toll rises to at least 164 dead and nearly 1,000 injured

    Rodríguez said that La Guaira, a coastal state north of Caracas, is the hardest hit and described it as a “disaster zone,” with a high number of collapsed buildings

    The number of victims from the twin earthquake that struck north-central Venezuela rose to at least 164 dead and 971 injured, acting President Delcy Rodríguez reported on Thursday, warning that the figure would keep rising as rescue work progressed. The quakes, of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5, hit on Wednesday afternoon and left dozens of buildings collapsed across several regions of the country.

  • Thursday, June 25th 2026 - 06:41 UTC

    Offers of aid pour in for Venezuela from across the Americas and beyond after its earthquake

    Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva expressed his “concern and dismay” and instructed his Foreign Ministry and the embassy in Caracas to assess assistance measures

    Governments from across the Americas and other regions of the world expressed solidarity with Venezuela and offered assistance after the twin earthquake of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 that struck the north-central part of the country on Wednesday and that, according to the first official toll, left at least 32 dead and more than 700 injured. Several countries announced the dispatch of rescue teams, while acting President Delcy Rodríguez thanked them for the shows of support.

  • Thursday, June 25th 2026 - 05:59 UTC

    Venezuela's earthquake tests US assistance to the interim government it helped install

    Donald Trump offered help in a message on his social network in which he said his country stands “ready, willing, and able,” and instructed “all agencies” of the government to act quickly

    The twin earthquake that struck north-central Venezuela has become the first major test of US assistance to the interim government of Delcy Rodríguez, installed after the capture of former president Nicolás Maduro in a US military operation in January. Washington mobilized rescue teams and supplies for a country with which, until half a year ago, it maintained no cooperative relations.

  • Thursday, February 12th 2026 - 21:34 UTC

    6.1-magnitude quake hits Chile’s Coquimbo region; authorities rule out tsunami risk

    The shaking was felt across a broad swath of the country and in parts of neighbouring Argentina near the Andes

    A magnitude-6.1 earthquake struck northern Chile on Thursday morning, with the epicentre in the Coquimbo region. Chile’s National Seismological Center (CSN) said the event occurred at 10:34:30 local time, locating it 13 km west of Punitaqui at preliminary coordinates of latitude -30.781 and longitude -71.613, with an estimated depth of 54 km.