Venezuela earthquakes damage 58,000 buildings

More than 58,000 buildings were likely damaged or destroyed by the powerful twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela last week, according to a preliminary assessment of satellite data published by the US space agency NASA.

Some 1,700 people were killed and thousands remain missing following the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes, the strongest to hit the South American nation in more than a century, reports Saudi Arabian news outlet Al Arabiya.

"Approximately 58,870 buildings were likely damaged or destroyed across the affected region," based on satellite radar data collected on June 25, the day after the earthquakes, according to researchers Corey Scher and Jamon Van Den Hoek of Oregon State University.

The researchers cited data from the European Space Agency's high-resolution Sentinel-1 radar satellite.

"This is a preliminary, rapid assessment. It reflects abrupt surface change consistent with damage," the researchers wrote, adding that the figure should only be treated as an indicator and had not been verified on the ground.

National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez reported on Monday that 855 buildings had been damaged, including 189 that had completely collapsed.

NASA said its satellites were 'providing critical support, capturing imagery and data to help teams on the ground assess impacts and guide response efforts'.