In collaboration with Venezuelan Authorities, and for planning purposes, International USAR teams are kindly requested to inform the UCC of their exit strategy. See the UCC tab on the leftside for details.
- Reception and Departure Centre (RDC) is at Maiquetía Airport, 10.597385, - 66.992786. Incoming teams are expected to use this airport. Teams will be tasked by the Government as they land.
- The UCC was closed on 3 June and handover was done to Venezuelan authorities. The UCC-led by national authorities is operational at Forum La Guaira Stadium - Baseball field, La Guaira City; UCC manager: Kevin Bedwell; CHI01 and COL- 01; Contact email: ucc.venezuela.earthquake@gmail.com; phone: +56962397508; Sat phone: +881632615008.
- More than 100 buildings collapsed in La Guiará. Local capacity overwhelmed.
- MOFA will liaise with Immigration Authorities to expedite entry procedures.
- Focus areas for international teams. Top priority: La Guaira, and Caracas. All other areas of Venezuela being handled by Civil Protection and Local Teams.
- The cleared port of entry is Simon Bolivar Airport, runway 9. Only open for chartered flight as of now.
- An UNDAC team arrived in country and established a OSOCC in Forum La Guaira Stadium - Baseball field, La Guaira City. UNDAC TL is Barbara Batista and the team is reachable through this email: venezuela2026@undac.org. The mission focal point in OCHA Geneva is Lucien Jaggi (jaggi@un.org)
ALL INCOMING TEAMS MUST ENTER THEIR ARRIVAL DETAILS ON THE VO.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION.
Situation Overview - Two strong earthquakes struck northern Venezuela on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, at 17:04 local time, with preliminary magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5 and at a shallow depth of 10-15km. The epicenter was off the country’s Caribbean coast near Morón, west of Caracas, and the
shocks were felt across a wide area. An unknown number of buildings were damaged or collapsed, residents evacuated into the streets. This is assessed as one of the most powerful earthquakes to affect Venezuela in over a century, with impacts felt across much of the country (and
neighboring states) and exposure affecting densely populated areas nationwide. - The Acting President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez, has declared a state of emergency, reflecting the scale and seriousness of the event, and rescue operations are underway as officials assess casualties, structural damage, and the needs of affected communities.
- Humanitarian impact: Although the scale of casualties and humanitarian needs remains unclear it is clear the damage was severe. La Guaira State where the main airport is located has been declared a disaster zone. Early reporting indicates that casualties could be significant and further aftershocks are possible. A brief tsunami
advisory was issued for parts of the Caribbean and later withdrawn. - A unified command post has been established with both the RC and OCHA present there.
- The Simón Bolívar International Airport was reportedly seriously affected by the earthquake but open for charter aircrafts. Significant damage was reported in Palo Grande and Altamira, two residential areas of Caracas.
Several buildings collapsed or were damaged, and San Bernardino, another district near Palo Grande, was also affected. The UN building was reportedly affected as well. Popular neighborhoods such as Petare and Catia, which are densely populated and highly vulnerable, are located near
El Ávila National Park and the Caribbean coast also very much affected. In La Guaira, the airport was reportedly closed, with flights diverted to Aruba and Curaçao. The area is about 45 minutes from Caracas, and impacts were also reported in the interior of the country. - Shelter and health capacity are limited. USAR capacity is constrained, with responders in some areas relying on manual rescue efforts due to limited equipment and resources. USAR teams:
Response Overview:
Search and Rescue (USAR / INSARAG): A significant international USAR response is underway. 19 INSARAG-classified teams have been mobilized to complement National Teams already working.
- Heavy
teams (9): Switzerland (SUI-01), USA x 2 (USA-01, USA-02),
Netherlands (NED-01), France (FRA-03), Qatar (QAT-01), Czech Republic
(CZE-01), Jordan (JOR-01), United Kingdom (GBR-01).
- Medium teams (7): Spain
x 3 (ESP-01, ESP-02), Chile (CHI-01), Colombia
(COL-01), Ecuador (ECU-01), Germany (GER-01), Türkiye (TUR-01).
- Light
team (3): Italy (ITA-02), Germany (GER-03), Lithuania
(LTU-01).
Additionally, 34 other teams (search and rescue, EMT, assessment, tech) are mobilizing, bringing the total to 53 teams. This brings the total numbers of rescuers currently deploying to over 2265 and climbing. The total number of rescue dogs currently deploying are 140. International search and rescue teams have been arriving in country and have commenced operations immediately. 15 INSARAG classified teams from Switzerland, the United States, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Qatar, Germany, Colombia, France, Jordan, Chile, and Ecuador are already on the ground. They are joined by 15 non classified USAR teams from El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Panama, USA, Germany, Syria, Portugal and the Dominican Republic, as well as 2 specialized teams from Italy and Spain. UNDAC An UNDAC response has been activated. A 15 member UNDAC team has been designated to support the response in Venezuela, covering leadership, HAO, IM, PIO Comms, USAR coordination functions and admin/finance. They will be supported by a four-member Operational Partner Support Team. An advance arrival is imminent in the next hours in Caracas, with the full team expected within 24–48 hours, and deployments planned for an initial three week support period, with capacity to scale up and/or launch a second wave if required. Assessment & Analysis: OCHA, has activated the Assessment and Analysis (A&A) Cell to support initial situation awareness and coordination. An Initial Impact Analysis meeting was held yesterday, with a broader analysis meeting scheduled shortly. In parallel, the International Charter “Space and Major Disasters” has been activated, enabling free access to satellite imagery (via UNOSAT) to support damage assessment and operational planning | Download 
OCHA Sutation Report 7 (30th June)
OCHA Situation Report 8 (1st July)
OCHA Situation Report 5 (28th June)
FORMAT FOR REQUESTING OVERFLIGHT AND LANDING PERMISSION IN THE BOLIVARIAN REPUBLIC OF VENEZUELA (OFFICIAL, MILITARY, AND POLICE FLIGHTS)
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