A preliminary magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck this Wednesday off the northern coast of Venezuela in the Caribbean Sea, immediately triggering a special tsunami alert for several islands in the region.
At the time of the initial reports, no victims or confirmed material damage had been recorded in Venezuelan territory.
The official warning included Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands among the at-risk areas, stating that fluctuations in sea level and ocean currents could pose a threat to coasts, beaches, ports, and coastal waters.
"According to all available data, there is a tsunami threat for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands due to fluctuations in sea level and strong ocean currents that may pose a danger along the coastlines, beaches, ports, and coastal waters," the official statement indicates.
The alert also specified a specific time window: "The earliest estimated time when dangerous fluctuations in sea level and strong ocean currents could begin in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands is 7:19 PM on Wednesday, June 24, 2026."
Venezuela is located at the contact zone between the South American plate and the Caribbean plate, making it one of the regions with the highest seismic activity in South America.
The most recent significant event occurred on August 21, 2018, when a 7.3 magnitude earthquake centered in the state of Sucre triggered a tsunami alert in the Caribbean that was later canceled without causing a real tsunami.
In that 2018 event, Trinidad and Tobago experienced power outages and structural damage, although no casualties were reported in Venezuela.
In the recent regional context, the Caribbean has experienced several significant seismic events: in February 2025, the threat of a tsunami to Cuba was dismissed following a 7.1 magnitude earthquake in the Caribbean Sea, and in 2026, a seismic swarm was recorded in the western part of Venezuela with tremors of up to magnitude 6.3.
The magnitude of 7.1 is a preliminary estimate; for similar seismic events, agencies like the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and the Venezuelan Foundation for Seismological Research (FUNVISIS) usually review and adjust the figures in the hours following the event.
The authorities responsible for issuing and canceling tsunami alerts for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands are the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center and the National Weather Service of the United States, agencies that monitor the progression of the event to determine whether the threat remains or is dismissed.
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