No Filipino has been reported killed or injured following the powerful back-to-back earthquakes that struck Venezuela’s northern coast late Wednesday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Thursday.

The DFA said it is coordinating with the Philippine Embassy in Bogota, Colombia which has jurisdiction over Venezuela and is monitoring the situation.

“There are no reports of Filipino casualties or injuries as of Thursday noon,” the DFA said.

The embassy has been in contact with Filipinos in Caracas and the city of Barinas and has advised them to remain in safe locations and listen to local authorities for updates.

“There are 74 Filipinos in Venezuela, many of them religious missionaries,” the DFA said.

Scores killed, injured

Two powerful earthquakes registering magnitude-7.2 and 7.5 struck less than a minute apart off Venezuela’s northern coast, with the stronger quake centered 168 kilometers west of Caracas at a depth of 13 kilometers.

More than 20 aftershocks have been recorded.

The twin quakes toppled buildings, damaged roads and power lines, and prompted Venezuelan authorities to declare a state of emergency as search-and-rescue operations continued.

Initial reports said at least 32 persons were killed and more than 700 were injured, as officials warned the toll could rise as rescuers searched collapsed structures.

Several countries, including the United States, have offered humanitarian assistance as emergency responders continue rescue operations in the hardest-hit areas.

Restore social, news media

Meanwhile, Venezuela must “immediately” unblock access to social media and news outlets, amid a “life and death” scramble for information after the powerful twin earthquakes struck, UN experts said Thursday.

The experts, who are mandated by the UN Human Rights Council but who do not speak on behalf of the United Nations, said that in the aftermath of the quakes, such access would “be a matter of life and death.”

“There can be no excuse for failing to do so immediately,” they added.

Reporters Without Borders, which ranks Venezuela in 159th place out of 180 countries in terms of media freedom, said the government had closed numerous media outlets and blocked online news content.

“After years of repression and strict control over information under Nicolas Maduro’s government, restrictions on the press and access to information were further exacerbated following the United States’s illegal military intervention in 2026,” RSF said on its website.

“The country has been plunged into deep uncertainty surrounding the protection of press freedom, despite the release of detained journalists in early 2026,” it added.