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Or sign-in if you have an account.People walk past a collapsed building following an earthquake in Caracas on June 25, 2026. Photo by MANAURE QUINTERO /AFP via Getty Images“Antonio, it’s your mom, I’m right here,” a mother’s desperate cries bounced off the rubble of a 22-story building in Caracas that collapsed following two powerful earthquakes in Venezuela on Wednesday.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorNeighbors looked on helplessly at the home’s remains as one of them clambered around the debris, listening out for responses but hearing only silence.Venezuela looks like it was BOMBED after two MASSIVE 7.1 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes. Pray for the people, this is really bad pic.twitter.com/pIw8ywXzYe— Ryan Rozbiani (@RyanRozbiani) June 25, 2026“We need flashlights,” said one of the improvised volunteers, with just one police officer accompanying the group as they waited for rescue workers to arrive.Get a dash of perspective along with the trending news of the day in a very readable format.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of NP Posted will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again“Tania, Tania,” another name echoed around the devastated site, which was part of the Petunia residential complex in the well-to-do Los Palos Grandes neighborhood that normally bustles with restaurants and cafes.One man wept quietly in the street.At around 6pm local time (2200GMT), two earthquakes struck the same part of Venezuela in quick succession. A woman sleeps next to her dog in a square following an earthquake in Caracas on June 25, 2026. Photo by MANAURE QUINTERO /AFP via Getty ImagesThe tremors of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), caused buildings to crumble across the capital, scattering their inhabitants out into the streets.Twenty aftershocks followed, according to interim leader Delcy Rodriguez, while Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said the states of Trujillo, Carabobo, Miranda and La Guaira were the hardest hit.It remains unknown if there were any fatalities, and although Cabello reported injuries, he did not specify a number.The strongest tremors in earthquake-prone Venezuela’s recent history occurred in the northeast in 1997, killing 73 people, and in Caracas in 1967, when 236 people died.Venezolano se graba corriendo las escaleras de su edificio mientras ocurría los dos terremotos que azotaron Venezuela, se pueden ver como las escaleras están agrietadas. pic.twitter.com/PWcRqTq87I— 🇻🇪 amilcarrock 🇺🇦 (@amilcarrock) June 25, 2026Los Palos Grandes suffered terribly in the 1967 quake too, with entire buildings also collapsing during that incident.‘Deep roar’Just a few blocks away, people exiting a shopping center were in a state of shock.“The stairs came away, the whole wall cracked. Things fell from the ceiling. It was horrible,” said 54-year-old bank employee Odalis Escalona.Zenia Gonzalez, 52, comforted a teenage girl still in tears.“We waited for it to pass and then ran down the escalator,” Gonzalez told AFP.“We had to wait because it was shaking too much. It lasted a long time,” she added. People remain on a street following an earthquake in Caracas on June 24, 2026. Photo by MANAURE QUINTERO /AFP via Getty ImagesPanicked screams had filled the air as people scrambled out of the building.In the nearby neighborhood of La Castellana, Maria Romero also fled her apartment in a hurry.“It was moving a lot and sounded like a deep roar,” the 48-year-old engineer told AFP, adding that she had initially dithered about what to do.“For a second I thought about getting under the table, but I decided to get out,” she said.Buildings across the city were destroyed, while Rodriguez announced a state of emergency and declared the country’s main airport closed due to “severe damage” following the quakes.This video from Venezuela during the earthquake is absolutely horrifying. I’m genuinely worried that thousands will be found dead. Sending all the best to our friends in Venezuela. pic.twitter.com/1YJ1CIo7hG— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) June 25, 2026Shortly after Venezuela’s twin tremors, another powerful earthquake hit northern Japan, the country’s weather agency said, with no casualties or material damage reported.Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here. Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.