A massive search and rescue effort is underway in Venezuela after twin earthquakes devastated the Caracas region, killing more than a hundred people and leaving many others injured or trapped under rubble.

What happened

Back-to-back earthquakes - measuring 7.2 and 7.5 - struck northern Venezuela on Wednesday night, killing at least 188 people, injuring more than 1,500, and leveling hundreds of buildings.

"We spent the night in a public square. Most of the neighbours slept in the streets," central Caracas resident Leander Pérez told the BBC. "I have friends with missing relatives."

State media channel Venezolana de Televisión says 157 people are reported missing, though the exact figure is unclear.

Search and rescue operation

Emergency workers are racing to reach people trapped beneath the rubble in Caracas and the state of La Guaira.

The next few hours prove crucial in rescuing survivors.

"I just want to know where my son is," says Dayana Delgado, a La Guaira resident.

Humanitarian crisis and international aid

The destruction could worsen living conditions for millions of Venezuelans in an "already severe" humanitarian crisis, charity Oxfam warns.

Countries around the world have stepped in to offer financial and logistical support to the emergency response, including the UK, US, Qatar, Mexico, China and Russia.

The Trump administration is deploying military assets and a specialised teamto help search and rescue efforts and also mobilising more than $200m in assistance.

We're now pausing our live coverage. You can read more about what is happening in Venezuela here.

A former Obama administration official tells the BBC the earthquakes will test Venezuelan leader Delcy Rodriguez's legitimacy and could "exacerbate" the country's already tenuous political stability.

Rebecca Bill Chavez, former deputy assistant defence secretary for the Western hemisphere under Obama, says if Acting President Rodriguez is able to "marshal the international support that's needed" it could work in her favour, but "it could be a real disaster for her if that doesn't happen".

Chavez added that the Trump administration's shuttering of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) - which traditionally oversees humanitarian support - will be a challenge for the US response.

"This is going to also be a real test about what the dismantling of USAID means, because there is a lot of muscle memory in USAID about how to react to these sorts of natural disasters," she said. "So that is gone."

From Miami to Mexico to Switzerland, aid from around the world is on the way for victims of the earthquakes in Venezuela.

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

The satellite internet provider Starlink also announced it would offer free service for the next month.

A non-profit rescue group helping evacuate Americans from Venezuela has described a "dangerous and complicated" situation in the areas hit by the twin earthquakes.

One of the biggest challenges to helping people in the country is communications, Bryan Stern, founder of Grey Bull Rescue based in Florida, told the BBC. We've been hearing about telecommunications problems since the earthquakes struck on Wednesday evening.

"Lots of people are hurt and in need, and they literally can't even ask for help," he said. "The people on the ground need everything. They need clothes. They need comms. They need places to live."

Stern's group is also working with other organisations to deliver supplies and is "bringing a full comms package" to the region, but he said his group needs "financial resources" to continue helping with the response.

Spain's World Cup team held a minute of silence at training to honour the victims of Wednesday's earthquakes.

Venezuela is not competing in the Fifa World Cup but many had gathered in the country to watch matches when the twin earthquakes struck.

Besides the players, Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has sent a solidarity message to Venezuela.

"Spain is prepared to help," he says in a message before announcing rescue teams are being dispatched to the country.

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Video shows collapsed tower block in Playa Grandepublished at 23:56 BST 25 June

23:56 BST 25 June

By Tam Patachako and Daniele Palumbo

We have verified a video showing a 13-storey tower block which has entirely collapsed in Playa Grande, a coastal area in La Guaira state near Venezuela’s main international airport.

The clip, recorded from a nearby high-rise building, makes clear the scale of the destruction in the area following yesterday’s two earthquakes.

The person filming pans across an enormous pile of rubble where the levelled structure once stood to reveal huge cracks and holes in the building the video is recorded from.

The damage visible in the footage is so great you can’t immediately tell what once stood there, but we were able to confirm through satellite imagery it was once a multi-storey block of flats.

Image source, Rex Features

"It’s an enormous catastrophe," says Stine Paus, Latin America Region Director for the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) about the aftermath of the earthquakes.

And it comes after years of Venezuelans depending on humanitarian aid due to the country's long economic crisis.

"There are huge needs for international support," she says.

Several UN agencies and the NRC are already present in the country, she says, "doing assessments and waiting for more support to come in."

As to how agencies can help, she says they can "support with shelter which is much needed, water and sanitation, and make sure infectious diseases are not spreading.

"We think there are lots of children in need of psychological support that organisations can help with," Paus says.

Image source, Reuters

Residents living in the Venezuelan capital Caracas found themselves trapped in locations such as the 18th floor of their tower block or the fourth floor of a car park basement when the earthquake struck.

Jesus Armas had been at home with his father, who is a cancer patient, and his mother 18 storeys up when a large building opposite began "moving from one side to another".

"We were just trapped inside the building," he tells the BBC's World Service, explaining: "There were buildings collapsing everywhere in Caracas."

Armas' father was unable to walk down the stairs and the lift was not working as there was no power - meaning the family had to wait to get out to safety.

Meanwhile, Alirio Hernandez was four storeys underground in a basement car park when the pillars of the building began to shake.

When he eventually managed to drive out, nearby security guards explained there were cracks in the building and tiles had dropped off.

The Trump administration has announced further details about the rapid response resources it is sending to Venezuela.

The Department of State is deploying a regional Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) that includes two specialised urban search and rescue teams focused on locating and reaching survivors.

Additionally, the US is mobilising $150m (£113.6m) in assistance to Venezuela through its partners including the International Medical Corps and the World Food Programme, as well as a $100m contribution to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Venezuela pooled fund.

The administration has also launched a task force based out of Washington to coordinate assistance and get help to Americans affected by the earthquakes.

The defence department is also deploying military assets, including fixed and rotor-wing aircraft, to support search and rescue efforts.

"Our mission is clear: save lives and rapidly deliver critical aid where it is most needed," Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth says in a statement. "The United States is committed to our hemisphere. When the lives of our friends are on the line, America moves."

Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodríguez has met with the army's general staff to coordinate urgent relief measures for La Guaira state, the area worst hit by the earthquakes.

They will mobilise state security forces as well as heavy machinery to remove large amount of debris.

They also agreed to open priority routes for rescue efforts, and organise support logistics for water, food, blankets, and mattresses for people who lost their homes.

Image source, EPA

Earlier, we reported some of the nations around the world pledging help - including the US which has promised a "big and fast" response.

We can now bring you some more.

Spain, Italy, Czechia, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Portugal are all sending search and rescue teams, according to President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.

She says the commission is "coordinating the European response".

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has also announced the assistance of rescuers and health workers.

Meanwhile, the Vatican says that Pope Leo has sent an initial €100,000 (£86,200) emergency donation, calling it a "first step" with further help to follow.

The mayor of Bogotá, Colombia Carlos Galán says he is sending a specialised search and rescue team from his city's fire department, along with Dastan, a dog trained in locating trapped people. They are part of a Colombian delegation of 64 people headed to Venezuela to offer aid.

Some organisations have also weighed in. The chief of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, says WHO teams are in "close touch" with responders and "on standby to deploy additional staff" and medical supplies.

Mark Poynting
Climate and science reporter

The two major earthquakes to hit Venezuela yesterday have been measured as 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude, according to the US Geological Survey.

These are based on something called the Moment Magnitude scale, which is often used by geologists to measure the strength or size of earthquakes.

The scale is not linear, so each whole number increase in magnitude is equivalent to a very large increase in earthquake strength.

For example, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake is 10 times bigger than a 6.0-magnitude quake in terms of the amplitude of the quake’s vibrations – and releases about 32 times as much energy.

But the magnitude is only one factor in shaping the damage.

As we explained earlier, the depth is also important – shallower earthquakes can cause more shaking.

And one of the most important factors of all is the extent to which homes and properties are built to withstand earthquakes.

Mark Poynting
Climate and science reporter

As we’ve been reporting, Venezuela has been shaken by dozens of “aftershocks” throughout the day.

Aftershocks are pretty much as the name suggests – smaller earthquakes that follow the main earthquake, or in this case the main two earthquakes.

They’re typically caused by parts of tectonic plates adjusting to changes in stress after the main quake.

Shallower earthquakes – as we’ve had in Venezuela – are more likely to be followed by aftershocks, according to the US Geological Survey.

Aftershocks can be dangerous, particularly if buildings have been partly damaged or weakened by the initial earthquake.

They can go on for weeks, months or even years, but bigger aftershocks become less likely over time.

Image source, Reuters

A geophysicist with the US Geological Survey describes how the twin earthquakes were "extraordinarily powerful" and says they were particularly dangerous because they hit areas with large populations.

"A 7.2 earthquake alone would be a catastrophic earthquake in this region," William Barnhart tells the BBC's Newshour programme. "But to immediately follow it only 39 seconds later by a 7.5, - that's about three times more powerful than that 7.2 earthquake - leads to a really dire situation."

Barnhart says the closer the earthquake is, both in depth and distance from people, the more damaging it can be.

Aftershocks following the earthquakes could "continue for months or beyond a year" and could be "quite large and damaging" themselves, he adds. And, there is always a small possibility that another large earthquake strikes.

Barnhart adds that people should listen to local officials for advice about when to stay away from structures.

Vanessa Silva
Reporting from Caracas, Venezuela

At a makeshift distribution site in Caracas I met Oriana,a volunteer helping people who lost their homes in the earthquakes.

"We are collecting clothes, medical devices and food - all types of things to help people whose houses have been damaged and people who suffered from the earthquake," she says.

"Food is one of the most important things we are collecting."

Satellite images taken before and after twin earthquakes shook Venezuela show the severity of the damage to the country.

High-rise apartment complexes, businesses and people's homes were reduced to rubble by the 24 June tremors.

Image source, Vantor via Getty Images

Image source, Vantor via Getty Images

Image source, Vantor via Getty Images

Image source, Vantor via Getty Images

Image source, Vantor via Getty Images

Image source, Vantor via Getty Images

Bernd Debusmann Jr
White House reporter

Just a few moments ago, I spoke to César Jiménez, an aid worker for Project Hope. The US-headquartered global health and humanitarian NGO operates 55 health centres in eight Venezuelan states, including in the earthquake-stricken areas of Caracas, Miranda and La Guaira.

I asked him whether Venezuela and the various organisations that work in the country were prepared for a disaster of this magnitude, which comes after years of economic woes and political strife.

“No country could have been prepared, but we were trying,” he responded. “But this type of disaster took us by surprise. There was no planning for this. You can’t even count the number of people that are looking for help. All of their buildings have been wrecked, entirely.”

Jiménez was at home with his family when the earthquakes struck.

“It started quite softly,” he tells me. “But it got more intense very quickly. It surprised us that it lasted so long, over a minute.”

As it became stronger, Jiménez tried to shelter near a column inside his house, alongside his family.

“It was so strong we couldn’t stay on our feet,” he recalls. “The electricity went out. The cabinets and the TV broke. We left immediately out onto the street, and all our neighbours were there. That’s when the aftershocks happened.”

Soon after the earthquakes, Project Hope staff across the country began inspecting the various health centres.

Some of them, particularly in La Guaira, had severe structure damage. Some are no longer stable.

“They are collapsing under the weight of people who are coming in looking for help,” he says.

The challenge now, Jiménez explains, is meeting the urgent need for medical supplies including bandages, sutures and medicines.

Donations and volunteers are already coming into the organisation, but he says more help is needed.

Image source, Reuters

UN Secretary-General António Guterres says on X that the UN is "mobilizing assistance" and "working closely" with the Venezuelan government and partners to support the country.

He says he is "deeply saddened" by the loss of life following two major earthquakes last night.

Earlier, Tom Fletcher, the UN's under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, said principals from the humanitarian community would meet in Geneva to work out how to scale up relief response.

In a video update, he also his department was deploying teams to the affected region today and that the UN's humanitarian coordinator in Caracas spoke with acting President Delcy Rodríguez this morning about what should be the top priorities in the response.

Fletcher also listed several countries which have offered their support to the emergency response including the US, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Switzerland, Qatar, Mexico, China, Brazil, Caribbean nations, Syria, the UK, Russia and Spain.

Gabriela Pomeroy
Live reporter

Image source, Juan Ortiz

I've been speaking to Juan, a medical student in Caracas.

"I have multiple friends from my university who are missing," he says. "Around 20 people as far as I know, from the university medical school."

One close friend has been confirmed dead. One is believed to be under the debris. Many from his class are missing.

They all live in the coastal area worst hit by the earthquake while attending classes in Caracas.

"I'm in shock and confusion, and frustrated that I can't help," he says.

He hopes it's just that they are out of contact due to the communication networks being down, "but it's rough out there".

He and his friends are saying prayers that their friends will be found. He is going with a group of medical students to volunteer tomorrow in the hospital in Vargas.