Quake leads closure of Venezuela's main airport
Significant structural damage and operational disruptions have been reported at Simon Bolívar International Airport at Maiquetia in Caracas, forcing the authorities to shut down the airport
ATT Desk Report 
A powerful series of earthquakes struck near Venezuela’s Caribbean coast on Wednesday afternoon, triggering tsunami warnings and advisories across the region.
Multiple videos geolocated by CNN from the coastal town of Catia La Mar in La Guaira showed collapsed buildings and clouds of smoke.
La Guaira is home to one of the country’s largest seaports and Simon Bolívar International Airport, which serves the capital, Caracas.
Video filmed inside the airport as the earthquakes struck showed panicked people running amid rubble and dust. The airport has since been shut.
Significant structural damage and operational disruptions have been reported at Simon Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetia.
A former Venezuelan lawmaker at Simon Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetia, which serves the capital Caracas, captured scenes of panic and destruction as a massive tremor shook the terminal.
Emergency responders conduct rescue operations in Caracas, Venezuela, 24 June 2026. Photo: EPA/Rayner Pena
“It’s shaking. Look at what Maiquetia Airport looks like while we’re here inside,” said Wilmer Azuaje while he walked and filmed around the airport, according to footage released by Reuters.
“Look at the disaster here, completely destroyed. Look at it after the earthquake. Look at how everything ended up. Everyone, the situation we’re experiencing here is serious.”
The video showed people running and several areas inside the airport covered in rubble and dust, with damaged ceilings.
Venezuela has declared a state of emergency, and the airport has been shut down.
Thousands of people ran out of homes, offices and restaurants and took to the streets as buildings swayed violently during the tremor. Photo: Euronews
According to the latest technical data from the US Geological Survey (USGS), an extraordinary double seismic sequence struck northern Venezuela. Seismologists confirmed that a magnitude 7.2 foreshock first hit near the municipality of San Felipe, the capital of Yaracuy state. Just 40 seconds later, an even stronger magnitude 7.5 main shock occurred southeast of Yumare.
The main shock was the largest recorded earthquake to strike Venezuela and the strongest in more than 125 years.
According to the USGS, the seismic event occurred at a depth of about 10 kilometres (6.2 miles), with its epicentre located just west of the coastal community of Moron. The tremors strongly shook the capital, Caracas, causing damage to several buildings.
Civil defence authorities are deploying to the worst-hit areas near the epicentre to assess infrastructure damage.
Rescuers carry a person on a stretcher out of a collapsed building following an earthquake in Caracas. Photo: Juan Barreto/AFP
Videos circulating on social media showed thick columns of dust rising above commercial areas in the capital as structures cracked and shed concrete facades. Emergency personnel are searching damaged rubble for trapped or injured people.
A tsunami warning was issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) for Venezuela’s coast as well as the neighbouring islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao.
The National Weather Service activated a tsunami advisory for Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, while authorities continued to monitor coastal tide gauges for unusual wave activity.
