A powerful double earthquake struck Venezuela in the evening of Wednesday, June 24, 2026, leaving dozens dead and thousands missing. Fears are mounting that the death toll will rise as rescue teams continue searching through rubble. Images of widespread destruction have circulated widely online.
Massive Energy Release
Evthymios Lekkas, Professor of Disaster Management and President of Greece’s Organization for Seismic Protection (OASP), spoke with ERT to explain the scale of the disaster. Referring to the two major quakes—measuring 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale—he emphasized their extraordinary energy release.
“The second quake, at 7.5 magnitude, released energy equivalent to 2 million tons of TNT—or roughly 180 Hiroshima atomic bombs,” Lekkas said. “You can see why the impact has been so devastating across the region—this is the kind of energy we’ve witnessed over the past 24 hours.”
Expectation of Aftershocks
When asked whether further strong aftershocks are likely, Lekkas noted that seismic data suggest a possible aftershock around magnitude 6.5. “That’s an average expectation—but every region behaves differently. Local geology, fault structure, and tectonic stress all influence what happens next,” he explained.
Compounding Destruction
Lekkas described how the two quakes interacted destructively: “The first shock damaged smaller buildings across the surrounding area, while the second—stronger and deeper—collapsed large and high-rise structures. Together, they produced a broad spectrum of damage across the built environment.”
Geological Context
The quakes resulted from the collision of two massive tectonic plates—the South American and North American plates. “These are faults orders of magnitude larger than those found in Greece,” Lekkas added, clarifying that while Greece is seismically active, its earthquakes typically do not exceed magnitude 7.
Current Casualty Figures
According to official reports so far, at least 164 people have died and nearly 1,000 have been injured. Authorities warn the final toll may rise as search-and-rescue operations continue. The first tremor hit west of Caracas at 6:04 p.m. local time; a stronger second shock followed within a minute. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has warned that the full extent of the disaster may still be unfolding.