Devastating Earthquakes Hit Venezuela: What It Means for Travelers in Colombia

On June 24, 2026, two powerful earthquakes struck northern Venezuela seconds apart: a magnitude 7.2 quake followed about 40 seconds later by a magnitude 7.5 mainshock, centered in Yaracuy state near San Felipe and Yumare, roughly 100 miles west of Caracas. It was the strongest earthquake to hit Venezuela in over 125 years. In the first hours, at least 188 people were reported killed and more than 1,500 injured, with buildings collapsed across Caracas, La Guaira, Carabobo, Aragua, and Trujillo, and serious damage to Caracas’s main airport at Maiquetía. The toll kept rising as rescue crews worked through the rubble (see the update above for current figures).

For travelers in Colombia, the direct risk is low. The earthquake struck Venezuela, not Colombia. It was felt as tremors in parts of eastern Colombia near the border, but no damage has been reported there, and Colombia’s disaster agency (UNGRD) confirmed there is no tsunami threat to the Colombian Caribbean coast.

What you may notice is travel disruption. With Maiquetía airport damaged, flights to and from Venezuela are heavily affected, and Colombian airlines activated contingencies on their Venezuela routes. If you have plans to fly into Venezuela or cross the land border, expect major delays and a severe humanitarian situation on the ground. Inside Colombia, normal travel is unaffected.

Bottom line: The earthquake struck Venezuela, not Colombia, and there is no direct danger or tsunami threat on Colombian soil. For travelers the real impact is heavily disrupted Venezuela flights and a severe humanitarian crisis across the border. If you want to help, the Pereira donation drive on this page is the most direct route.

Source: Al Jazeera