More than 58,000 buildings have been damaged or destroyed following the twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela on Wednesday, according to satellite estimates released by NASA.
The US space agency estimates that approximately 58,870 structures were likely impacted across the affected region. The data is based on high-resolution satellite imagery captured by the European Space Agency on June 25, one day after the disaster, according to researchers Corey Scher and Jamon Van Den Hoek from Oregon State University.
“This is a preliminary assessment” that “reflects a sudden alteration in the surface area,” the researchers stated, cautioning that the figure should be treated as an indicator and has not yet been verified on the ground.
In contrast, the President of Venezuela’s National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, reported on Monday that 855 buildings had been verified as damaged, including 189 that suffered “total collapse.”
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The earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24 have claimed at least 1,719 lives and left 5,034 injured, according to the latest official government balance.
The disaster has also heavily impacted the European diaspora in the country. The death toll includes at least 56 Portuguese citizens and people of Portuguese descent, with another 91 listed as missing or unreachable, according to a Monday update from the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to United Nations estimates, the broader missing person count across the country surpasses 50,000 people. In response to the crisis, several nations—including Portugal and other European Union member states—have deployed specialized search and rescue teams to assist local emergency services.
