(BSS/AFP) - The powerful twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela last week damaged or destroyed more than 58,000 buildings, according to a preliminary assessment of satellite data published by US space agency NASA.

Some 1,700 people were killed and thousands remain missing following the quakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 -- the strongest to hit the South American nation in more than a century.

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

The duo were citing data from the European Space Agency`s high-resolution radar imagery satellite Sentinel-1.

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

National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez reported on Monday that 855 buildings have been damaged, including 189 "total collapses."

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