Rescuers Continue Search Six Days After Venezuela Earthquakes

Search teams continued operations Tuesday in northern Venezuela six days after twin earthquakes struck the region. The confirmed death toll reached more than 1,900, with thousands still reported missing.

NASA said satellite imagery taken before and after the June 24 quakes showed approximately 58,870 buildings were likely damaged or destroyed across the affected region. The agency described the estimate as a preliminary product produced within days of the event and noted that it had not been corroborated by ground assessments.

An American task force from Fairfax, Virginia joined international teams working near the epicenter in the state of La Guaira. CBS News accompanied rescuers as they searched a collapsed building, calling for anyone inside to signal by banging three times; no response was heard.

Miguel Coello asked American rescuer Josh Morrison to help locate his 22-year-old daughter among fourteen people believed inside one structure. Morrison said teams respond to such requests while acknowledging that locating survivors grows more difficult after five days.

Rubmar Carolina Garcia searched the rubble of a building where her 13-year-old son and mother were found clinging to each other. As night fell Monday, teams attempted to reach a security guard trapped for five days. Morrison said rescue efforts would continue until no further signs of life remained, adding that any decision to end operations would be made at a higher level.