NASA Estimates 59,000 Buildings Damaged in Venezuela After Twin Earthquakes
Preliminary satellite data points to widespread destruction, but official ground assessments report far lower numbers, as the death toll reaches 1,719.
Two powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela on 24 June may have damaged or destroyed approximately 58,870 buildings, according to a preliminary rapid assessment released by NASA, the US space agency, on Monday. The twin tremors—a magnitude-7.2 foreshock followed by a 7.5 mainshock—were centred near San Felipe and Yumare in the north-central part of the country, with violent shaking felt along the central coast and across the Caracas metropolitan area.
Venezuelan authorities have confirmed 1,719 deaths and more than 5,000 injuries. Figures for the missing or displaced, however, diverge: some official channels report nearly 16,000 people unaccounted for, while others cite more than 15,000 displaced. Search and rescue operations, supported by international specialist teams, have continued since last week, with the most severe damage concentrated in the state of La Guaira and the capital, Caracas.
The satellite-derived estimate stands in sharp contrast to the latest official damage assessment provided by Jorge Rodríguez, president of the National Assembly, who on Monday said 855 buildings had suffered damage, of which 189 collapsed. The gulf between the two numbers underscores the preliminary nature of the remote-sensing data, which NASA itself stresses has not been validated by field teams and should be treated only as an initial indicator.
The estimate was produced by comparing radar images from the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-1 satellite captured before and after the quakes. Two post-event passes—one on 24 June covering the western epicentral zone, and a second on 25 June covering the Caracas metropolitan area, including the densely populated districts of Petare and Antímano—were analysed for abrupt surface changes consistent with structural damage. The affected region extends from Caracas westwards to Puerto Cabello, a distance of roughly 210 kilometres.
The death toll remains provisional, and the full extent of the destruction will not be known until ground surveys are completed. NASA has activated its Disaster Response Coordination System and is releasing additional data products as they become available. The European Space Agency is also using Sentinel-1 data to generate interferograms that map ground deformation with millimetric precision.
How the same story is told elsewhere.
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Latin American media report the NASA estimate of nearly 59,000 buildings damaged or destroyed in Venezuela, underscoring the human cost with over 1,700 dead and 15,000 displaced. While acknowledging the preliminary nature of the satellite-based assessment, the coverage conveys a sense of regional urgency and the sheer scale of the disaster.
European continental media relay the NASA preliminary estimate of 58,870 buildings affected by the earthquakes in Venezuela, emphasizing that the data comes from rapid satellite radar analysis and has not been field-verified. The tone is cautious and technical, focusing on the limitations of the assessment rather than the immediate human impact.
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