Venezuela was struck by two powerful earthquakes on June 24, occurring within 39 seconds of each other. The primary event, initially reported as 7.2 magnitude, was reclassified as a 7.5 magnitude earthquake after further analysis, according to the official U.S. tsunami alert system. The U.S. National Tsunami Alert Center characterized this as a "seismic doublet," a phenomenon where two large earthquakes occur in close succession in the same area. The quakes had shallow depths, with the 7.5 magnitude event at 13.2 kilometers, making it a superficial earthquake.
The epicenter of the 7.5 magnitude temblor was located approximately 300 kilometers east of Caracas, the capital, specifically in the municipality of Montalbán, Carabobo state. The tremors were widely felt, reaching as far as Bogotá, the capital of Colombia, where lamps swayed and alarms sounded, prompting residents to evacuate buildings as a precautionary measure. While some areas experienced power outages and people gathered in the streets in Caracas, there were no immediate reports of significant structural damage or casualties.
Following the earthquakes, a tsunami alert that had been issued for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands was subsequently canceled. Venezuelan authorities did not initially report any emergency situations, and Colombia's risk management entity also confirmed no immediate reports of emergencies and ruled out a tsunami threat. Earthquakes are a frequent occurrence in Venezuela, with previous major events including one in Cariaco in 1997 and another in Caracas in 1967. This event follows a separate 6.1 magnitude earthquake that struck northwest Venezuela on June 25, felt across Colombia and other Caribbean islands, with its epicenter near Mene Grande in Zulia state.
