{"id":134736,"date":"2026-06-25T12:09:56","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T18:09:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/world-leaders-react-with-offers-and-solidarity-after-powerful-quakes-hit-venezuela\/"},"modified":"2026-06-28T14:00:57","modified_gmt":"2026-06-28T20:00:57","slug":"leaders-and-celebrities-react-after-powerful-quakes-hit-venezuela","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/leaders-and-celebrities-react-after-powerful-quakes-hit-venezuela\/","title":{"rendered":"Leaders and celebrities react after powerful quakes hit Venezuela"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"A
A man walks among the rubble of a building that collapsed in earthquakes the previous day in La Guaira, Venezuela, Thursday, June 25, 2026. (AP Photo\/Pedro Mattey)<\/span>(AP Photo\/Pedro Mattey)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

World leaders and Venezuelan celebrities reacted Thursday with messages of solidarity and offers of assistance after two powerful earthquakes<\/a> shook the South American nation, killing at least 164 people, injuring more than 1,000 and trapping many beneath collapsed buildings.<\/p>\n

Wednesday evening\u2019s 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes were among the strongest to strike Venezuela<\/a> in more than a century and could be felt throughout the region.<\/p>\n

Venezuelan officials were trying to make the most of the daylight hours to speed up efforts to rescue people believed to remain trapped under the rubble.<\/p>\n

Here are some of the reactions from world leaders and celebrities to the earthquakes in Venezuela.<\/p>\n

US State Secretary Marco Rubio<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe United States extends our deepest condolences to the people of Venezuela following the devastating earthquakes,\u201d U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio<\/a> said on the social platform X.<\/p>\n

\u201cAmerica stands with the Venezuelan people during this difficult time and at the direction of President Trump, the State Department is immediately deploying search and rescue teams, medical resources, and humanitarian assistance to Venezuela.\u201d<\/p>\n

UN emergency relief chief Tom Fletcher<\/strong><\/p>\n

U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said in a statement that Venezuela will need \u201call hands on deck\u201d from the international community to deal with the aftermath of the earthquakes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m in close contact with our team in Caracas to ensure a full and urgent response, including search and rescue support and emergency relief for survivors. International solidarity coming in,” Fletcher said.<\/p>\n

French President Emmanuel Macron<\/strong><\/p>\n

French President Emmanuel Macron<\/a> took to social platform X to express France’s solidarity with the Venezuelan people and said that a team of 85 French rescue workers specializing in search and clearance operations is \u201cbeing deployed immediately\u201d to Venezuela.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrance stands ready, alongside its European partners, to provide assistance to the affected populations in response to the needs identified by the Venezuelan authorities,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

Venezuelan actor-model Alicia Machado<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 1996 Miss Universe Alicia Machado<\/a>, who was born in Maracay, is using her Instagram account to give visibility to distressed Venezuelans and linking them to an initiative named Global Empowerment Mission for aid.<\/p>\n

\u201cVenezuela needs us united more than ever! We are waiting for you here,\u201d Machado said in an Instagram post. \u201cOur reconnaissance and emergency response team is deploying immediately and is expected to be on the ground by Friday to assess needs, coordinate with local partners, and begin response operations. Please keep the people of Venezuela in your thoughts during this challenging time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum<\/a> said that a team of military rescue workers, along with medical personnel, will depart for Venezuela on Thursday. She did not say how many people would be traveling.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will determine tomorrow exactly what additional personnel are needed to continue helping the communities that need it,\u201d the Mexican president said.<\/p>\n

Actor \u00c9dgar Ram\u00edrez<\/strong><\/p>\n

Emmy Award-winning actor Edgar Ram\u00edrez<\/a>, a native of San Cristobal who has appeared in several movies and TV series in the U.S., posted more than 20 messages on his Instagram account by Thursday morning showing people who had disappeared after the earthquakes. He also shared an image of the Venezuelan flag that Oscar-winning actor Jamie Lee Curtis<\/a> had posted.<\/p>\n

Brazil’s President Luiz In\u00e1cio Lula da Silva<\/strong><\/p>\n

President Luiz In\u00e1cio Lula da Silva<\/a> of Brazil expressed his country’s \u201cdetermination” to support the government of Venezuela in its recovery efforts.<\/p>\n

Lula said on X that he had instructed Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to assess the situation in Venezuela \u201cand to evaluate what assistance measures Brazil might adopt.\u201d<\/p>\n

“I reaffirm our determination to support the government of Acting President Delcy Rodr\u00edguez in the recovery of affected areas in this sister nation, whose people have demonstrated great resilience in the face of adversity,” he wrote.<\/p>\n

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cChina has taken note of the reports concerning Venezuela. We extend our sincere condolences to the Venezuelan government and the affected people,\u201d Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Thursday in a news conference.<\/p>\n

He added that \u201cChina is willing to provide assistance to Venezuela to the best of its ability, according to Venezuela’s needs.”<\/p>\n

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro S\u00e1nchez<\/strong><\/p>\n

S\u00e1nchez said he spoke with the Venezuelan president on Thursday to say his country was sending a plane later that day with two government-sponsored search-and-rescue teams, along with other aid workers to assess needs on the ground.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur government is working to give all the possible assistance to our Spanish expatriates in Venezuela (too),\u201d S\u00e1nchez said in his social media channels.<\/p>\n

Colombia\u2019s President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI stand in full solidarity with the brotherly people of Venezuela following the devastating earthquake. Colombia stands with you during this difficult time with affection, respect, and hope. My prayers are with the victims and their families. God will provide,\u201d Colombian President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella<\/a> wrote on X.<\/p>\n

\"Rescue
Rescue worker carry an injured man after an earthquake in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo\/Ariana Cubillos)<\/span>(AP Photo\/Ariana Cubillos)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Collapsed
Collapsed buildings stand a day after earthquakes struck La Guaira, Venezuela, Thursday, June 25, 2026. (AP Photo\/Juan Pablo Arraez)<\/span>(AP Photo\/Juan Pablo Arraez)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Men
Men walk among rubble after an earthquake in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo\/Pedro Mattey)<\/span>(AP Photo\/Pedro Mattey)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A
A man tries to make a call after an earthquake in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo\/Pedro Mattey)<\/span>(AP Photo\/Pedro Mattey)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A man walks among the rubble of a building that collapsed in earthquakes the previous day in La Guaira, Venezuela, Thursday, June 25, 2026. (AP Photo\/Pedro Mattey)(AP Photo\/Pedro Mattey) World leaders and Venezuelan celebrities reacted Thursday with messages of solidarity and offers of assistance after two powerful earthquakes shook the South American nation, killing at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":134737,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5734],"tags":[],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-134736","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-associated-press"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134736","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=134736"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134736\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":134977,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134736\/revisions\/134977"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/134737"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=134736"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=134736"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=134736"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=134736"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}