On June 24, 2026, north-central Venezuela was struck by a catastrophic doublet earthquake—a magnitude 7.2 foreshock followed just 39 seconds later by a massive 7.5 mainshock. It is one of the strongest seismic events to hit the country in over a century, devastating major regions including La Guaira, Caracas, Yaracuy, and Carabobo. Authorities have confirmed more than 2,295 fatalities and thousands of injuries, with tens of thousands of people currently reported missing or displaced from affected neighborhoods.
Context
Power and communications networks have been damaged by the earthquakes, meaning relief teams face difficulties to communicate and coordinate, and people affected by the earthquake struggle to reach their loved ones.
Connectivity for relief efforts
Connectivity support for a field hospital
Working in collaboration with the Venezuelan Red Cross, TSF provided connectivity support to a Red Cross field hospital in La Guaira, close to the affected areas.
Satellite phones for mobile teams
Assessments are essential to identify needs and areas where relief efforts should intervene. Mobile teams use motorcycles to cover the affected areas; being able to communicate with each other and with the rest of their team saves time in the response. It is also a way to help workers stay safe, being able to call for help if they face a dangerous situation.
Restoring Family Links (RFL) also has mobile teams that help finding missing people and reunite families. TSF provided satellite phones to these teams for communication and safety.
Free WiFi for affected people
Thousands of people have lost their homes, and are forced to stay in temporary camps. In Caraballeda's golf course, transformed into a temporary camp, people couldn’t access either the Internet or mobile service. TSF installed connectivity in the camp, where dozens of people could then access the Internet to call their loved ones and access essential information.
A coordinated regional response
Thanks to its regional presence in Guadalajara, Mexico, Télécoms Sans Frontières has deployed immediately to provide emergency communications and support rapid needs assessments and the coordination of relief operations.
In close coordination with its regional partner the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), TSF has arrived in Valencia, Venezuela a few days after the disaster, and will provide emeregency communication means in cooperation with the Venezuelan Red Cross.
This page will be updated regularly with the information we receive from our team in Venezuela.
