Egypt condoles with Venezuela over deadly earthquakes that killed scores

CAIRO – 25 June 2026: Egypt extended its condolences to Venezuela after twin earthquakes struck the South American country, killing at least 164 people, with the toll feared to dramatically rise.

In a statement on Thursday, the foreign ministry expressed Egypt's full solidarity with the Venezuelan government and people in the wake of the tragic incident.

Egypt offered its sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wishing a speedy recovery to those injured.

Venezuela declared a state of emergency after two back-to-back earthquakes struck off its coast around 2200 GMT on Wednesday (midnight Cairo time), causing widespread destruction and the collapse of dozens of buildings.

A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck about 160 km west of Caracas, followed less than a minute later by a stronger 7.5-magnitude tremor, Reuters reported, citing the US Geological Survey.

Interim President Delcy Rodríguez said authorities have confirmed at least 164 deaths and nearly 1,000 injuries.

She added in remarks broadcast on state television early Thursday that rescue teams are carrying out intensive operations to search for survivors trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings.

The US Geological Survey's predictive modeling indicated the eventual death toll could reach into the thousands, while a website launched to track missing persons and shared by opposition figures on X reported that more than 10,000 people remained unaccounted for as of early Thursday morning.

Rodríguez said the hardest-hit area was La Guaira state, near the capital and home to the country's main international airport.

"La Guaira is facing a true tragedy and has become a disaster zone," Rodríguez said.