Volunteers search for possible victims amid the rubble following a twin earthquake in Caraballeda, La Guaira state, about 40 km northeast of Caracas, on June 25, 2026. Federico PARRA /AFP via Getty Images

Rescue teams continue the desperate search for survivors, some even digging with their hands, as tens of thousands of people are still presumed to be missing in Venezuela five days after twin earthquakes struck. More than 1,400 people have died in the quakes.

Outside of a hospital in Caracas, families scour lists of patients looking for any missing relatives.

Genesis Fonseca was at a hospital to bring soup to her 6-year-old nephew who survived the earthquakes, but his mother did not.

Fonseca said she will miss "everything" about her sister, including the love they had for each other.

In hard hit La Guaira, a coastal city and the epicenter of a dire humanitarian crisis, there's remnants of people's lives in the rubble of collapsed homes and apartment buildings – from stuffed animals to a passport and a kindergarten graduation diploma.

"We need more support"
But amid the tragedy, there are moments of hope.

A U.S. search team helped to rescue a mother and her 9-month-old baby from the debris of a collapsed building.

"Against impossible odds, hope endures," the U.S. State Department wrote in a post it shared on social media, adding that "every life saved is a victory."

On Saturday, Keyla Zerpa's nephew, Kenger, was rescued. She told CBS News her two nephews and sister lived in a building that came crashing down and that 11-year-old Kenger was the only survivor.

"We need more support, more help," Zerpa said, directing her message to the U.S.

U.S. diplomat John Barrett said there are more than 300 American rescuers on the ground in Venezuela.

"We were with Venezuela before the earthquake and we're even closer to Venezuela after, after the earthquake," he said.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week that he spoke to Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodríguez and offered the full assistance of the U.S.


Remnants of people's lives are found in the rubble of collapsed homes and apartment buildings after two powerful earthquakes rocked Venezuela last week. CBS News

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