More than 58,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed in the powerful twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela, according to a preliminary assessment of satellite data released by the US space agency NASA.
The magnitude-7.2 and 7.5 quakes killed about 1,700 people, and thousands remain missing. They were the strongest earthquakes to hit the South American country in more than a century.
Oregon State University researchers Corey Scher and Jamon Van Den Hoek said that, based on satellite radar data collected on 25 June, the day after the quakes, an estimated 58,870 buildings in the affected area were likely damaged or destroyed.
The two researchers cited data from the European Space Agency’s high-powered radar imaging satellite, Sentinel-1.
“This is a preliminary and rapid assessment,” the researchers wrote. “It reflects sudden changes in the surface that are consistent with damage.”
They added that the figure should be treated only as an indicator and had not been verified on the ground.
Meanwhile, the president of Venezuela’s National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, said on Monday that 855 buildings had been damaged, including 189 that had “completely collapsed.”
NASA said its satellites were providing important support by gathering images and data that would help teams on the ground assess the damage and carry out rescue operations.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report