Satellite Data Shows Over 58,000 Buildings Damaged Or Destroyed in Venezuela Earthquakes

More than 58,000 buildings may have been damaged or destroyed by twin earthquakes that hit Venezuela last week, according to an initial assessment based on satellite data by researchers at the Oregon State University in the US.

A separate analysis carried out by NDTV Datafy using Sentinel-1 satellite data shows hundreds of buildings destroyed or damaged in each Venezuelan city.

#Datafy | Satellite Data Shows Over 58,000 Buildings Destroyed in Venezuela Earthquakes

📸: @vantortech, Google Earth pic.twitter.com/gwrRKuwupY

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In the Caribbean town of Caraballeda near capital Caracas, for example, at least 90 buildings, including dozens of skyscrapers, are estimated to have been destroyed. More than 180 others suffered significant damage, according to our analysis, which is based on a methodology laid out by Ollie Ballinger, a geocomputation lecturer at University College London.

In the neighbouring La Guaira, one of the hardest-hit cities of Venezuela, more than 65 buildings are assessed to have been reduced to rubble, while 190 others are damaged.

The situation is similar in the capital, Caracas, where CNN reports at least 430 schools alone have been damaged.

The satellite data-based analysis is a primary assessment and serves as an indicator of the devastation caused by the earthquakes. The assessment is based on changes in surface of a particular location as detected by Sentinel-1 sensors. NDTV Datafy verified this data with high-resolution satellite imagery for some areas and found it to be accurate.

However, the satellite data still could not pick out all of the damage, which is likely to be higher when the final assessment is carried out by the authorities.

More than 1,900 people were killed, 10,500 injured and thousands remain missing following the earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 - the strongest to hit the South American nation in more than a century.

Venezuela's National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said on Monday that 855 buildings were damaged, including 189 "total collapses."

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) has sounded the alarm over potential outbreaks of measles and diphtheria due to low levels of vaccination, as well as of yellow fever, malaria, dengue, chikungunya and Zika.

Around 27 countries, including India, have mobilised nearly 40 search and rescue teams.