It didn’t take long for India to put a plan in place after the twin quakes of Wednesday evening. “We are prepared to give all the help we can,” was the message from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 25, 2026. The 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude tremors were enough to put the country on emergency footing as first responders made for those left in the rubble.
India signals rapid assistance after Venezuela earthquakes
Modi’s words of condolence to Venezuela also included an offer to stand by them if they need it. He was open about his regret over what has been lost and re-iterated that India is at the ready to be of service.
New Delhi hasn’t put a specific package on the table yet, but you can get an idea of what they might send based on how they’ve handled things in the past. Here is what has been part of the equation before:
– NDRF search-and-rescue specialists
– Field hospitals and medical staff
– A stock of food, medicines and make-shift shelters
– Technical back-up and water purifiers for the recovery phase
Quakes among the strongest in a century
Put simply, two big ones hit in quick succession – a 7.2 and a 7.5. The first one was put down at 7.1 at first, then upped to 7.2 when they had a better read on it.
The USGS puts the origin of the first one some 168 km west of Caracas, near Moron, 22 km down. Then, in the space of a minute, another 7.5 came through, 10 km deep and 16 km to the southwest of Moron.
You could feel it in most of Venezuela. Even in the Amazon side of Brazil, 1,700 km from the capital, people were out of their buildings. There were reports of it in Colombia, too.
Emergency measures and ground situation
With crews in the field, Acting President Delcy Rodriguez has put a state of emergency in place. Simon Bolivar International Airport is out of commission for now, and there’s been a lot of damage. Schools are off for a few days.
They’ve called a halt to the subway and natural gas in Caracas and are asking people to use an app to put in a report on any damage. Some schools have been turned into places for donations or to put up some of the displaced.
Numbers so far are hard to pin down. In Falcon, Governor Victor Clark says 32 are in hospital and 15 are still under debris, more than four hours on. The word from officials is to stay outside; the aftershocks can be unforgiving to what’s already been weakened.
International offers of help and regional ripples
You can’t miss the pictures from Caracas of the hotel in pieces and the airport in disarray. World leaders have been in touch. The US and a number of countries in the region have put out an offer to help; one put it that they are moving fast to do so.
Then there are the regional moves. The Dominican Republic is sending in military rescuers on Thursday. El Salvador has 300 of its own, with gear and medics, standing by. (There was a tsunami alert for the coast and for Aruba and Bonaire, but that’s been called off.)
This comes at a time when the government in Venezuela has been trying to put the economy back on track and make some headway with energy deals, even with India. This kind of infrastructure damage doesn’t make for easy going.
What to watch in the days ahead
For now, it’s about finding people and making sense of the damage. You will see the relief effort move at the speed of how quickly they can open up the roads, get the power back on and get the airport running again.
Once Caracas makes a formal ask, India is in a position to follow through. For the time being, the advice from the top is to be careful while the aftershocks roll in and the teams are at work to put things right.
