The earthquakes that hit Venezuela last week have resulted in significant destruction, damaging or destroying over 58,000 buildings, as indicated by a preliminary assessment of satellite data released by NASA.
The quakes, measuring magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, are the most powerful to affect the South American nation in over a century, resulting in approximately 1,700 fatalities and leaving thousands missing.
According to researchers Corey Scher and Jamon Van Den Hoek from Oregon State University, "Approximately 58,870 buildings were likely damaged or destroyed across the affected region," based on satellite radar data collected on June 25, the day following the earthquakes. Their analysis utilized high-resolution radar imagery from the European Space Agency's Sentinel-1 satellite.
