Lahbib: EU ready to provide aid after Venezuela earthquake
The EU is ready to step up its aid to Venezuela following the severe earthquakes that have struck the country, killing at least 164 people, European Commissioner for Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib has said.
“My condolences to the victims of the earthquake in Venezuela. We are following the situation with our field staff and partners there,” she said on X. “EU-funded partners are already providing help on the ground, Copernicus is activated & we stand ready to step up assistance.”
Shortly after 18:00 local time on Wednesday evening, two extremely powerful earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 struck within less than 40 seconds. According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), this is the strongest earthquake to hit the country in over a century. The provisional death toll stands at 164, with almost 1,000 people injured.
A USGS estimate suggests there may have been thousands of fatalities, and that there is a possibility the toll could exceed 10,000. The automated estimate is based on factors including the magnitude of the quake and the proximity of towns. Puerto Cabello and San Felipe, two towns relatively close to the epicentre, have a combined population of just over 400,000.
Foreign minister Maxime Prévot said Belgium was “following the situation closely”. “The images coming out of Venezuela are heartbreaking,” he said on X. “Our crisis centre in Brussels is monitoring developments, and our Embassy in Bogota, responsible for Venezuela, is ready to assist Belgian nationals in need.”
The Netherlands, France, Germany, Spain and Switzerland have offered help in the form of aid workers and military aircraft to transport people and relief supplies.
Residents walk past damaged buildings and debris on a street following an earthquake in Catia La Mar, Venezuela, 25 June2026 © PHOTO FEDERICO PARRA / AFP
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