Two Major Earthquakes Strike Venezuela – Trump Offers Assistance

The quakes caused houses to collapse and triggered panic in many areas. Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello confirmed on state television the collapse of several buildings and residential structures, describing an extremely alarming situation. In the capital district of Chacao, Mayor Gustavo Duque reported that 18 survivors were rescued from a single building. In the coastal state of Falcón, Governor Victor Clark said 22 people were injured, with 15 adults reported missing.

The shaking was also felt in Colombia. A tsunami warning issued for Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire was later lifted. According to USGS data, the relatively nearby cities of Puerto Cabello and San Felipe together have just over 400,000 residents. The US Geological Survey's automated model, based on the quake's magnitude and the proximity of several cities, indicated a very high likelihood of more than a thousand fatalities.

Declaration of the State of Emergency

President Rodríguez, who has been leading the country since the ouster of President Nicolás Maduro by the United States in January, declared a state of emergency. She spoke of an "incident with serious consequences." Rodríguez said several states were particularly affected, including La Guaira. At hospitals such as the Hospital de Clínicas in Caracas, night-shift staff were doubled to care for the injured. School classes were suspended, and rail services halted.

The capital's main international airport also ceased operations due to damage. To prevent explosions from aftershocks, authorities ordered the gas supply to be cut off. There had already been 20 aftershocks. The quakes occurred on a public holiday marking the country's independence, which is why many Venezuelans were at home.

International Pledges of Aid

US President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social about a "devastating death toll." He had instructed all agencies of his government to prepare for rapid assistance, Trump said. The United States was "ready, willing, and able" to support the South American country. "We will be there for our new and great friends," the US president declared. The US State Department said it had set up a crisis response unit to coordinate with the Venezuelan government on sending search-and-rescue teams as well as humanitarian and medical aid.

The US Embassy in Caracas called on American citizens to seek safe shelter. Brazil also signaled its readiness to help. The president of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, said specialized search-and-rescue teams from the armed forces would depart for Venezuela in the early morning. The president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, also wrote on the platform X that 300 rescue workers and paramedics as well as 50 tons of relief supplies were ready to be transported to the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.

Further Reports

The earthquake disaster overshadows other international developments. Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz is attending the Ukraine Reconstruction Conference in Gdańsk this Thursday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will be represented at the two-day meeting in the Polish Baltic city by Prime Minister Julia Swyrydenko. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk assured Ukraine of ongoing support and announced 200 contracts worth billions for reconstruction.

Meanwhile, in Berlin, a five-meter-tall bronze stele in the shape of a tree trunk was unveiled in the Tiergarten, commemorating Jehovah's Witnesses persecuted and murdered during the Nazi era. Thousands were sent to concentration camps, where they were stigmatized with a "purple triangle." More than 1,700 Jehovah's Witnesses were killed. Bundestag President Julia Klöckner called the memorial "a bow before the victims of National Socialism." Minister of State for Culture Wolfram Weimer said at the unveiling that the memorial closes a gap in Germany's culture of remembrance.

Background: Verdict in Moscow

In Russia, a court in Moscow found opposition politician Maxim Kruglov guilty of spreading falsehoods about the Russian army. The charges were based on two social media posts from 2022 about the war in Ukraine. Kruglov belongs to the opposition party Yabloko. Russia's parliamentary election is scheduled to take place in September.

Ebola Case in France and Heat Wave

Meanwhile, the virus has for the first time since the start of the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo been verifiably brought to Europe. A man in France tested positive after returning as a doctor with an aid organization on a scheduled flight from Kinshasa to the French capital. Immediately upon arrival, he was taken to a hospital and isolated there. The man's condition was said to be stable. In Congo, the number of confirmed Ebola cases recently rose to more than 1,000, with approximately 260 patients having died so far – also because there is as yet neither a vaccine nor a specific therapy for the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus.

Meteorologists expect temperatures of up to 41 degrees Celsius in some parts of the Federal Republic by the weekend. This could surpass the previous German June record. Overall, hundreds of millions of people in Europe are affected by the current heat wave. Governments should therefore "prioritize investments in climate-resilient health systems," demanded WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.