Rescue workers in La Guaira, a port city in Venezuela, pulled a mother and her 18-day-old baby out of collapsed building rubble 32 hours after twin earthquakes hit the country on June 25. This was one of the few hopeful outcomes from a disaster that brought international rescue teams to Venezuela.

La Guaira sits on ground that makes earthquakes more dangerous. The area is located where two large pieces of Earth's crust—called tectonic plates—meet and rub against each other. This spot has a history of major earthquakes. In 1999, a devastating earthquake here killed tens of thousands of people. Because of this geological weakness, the recent twin earthquakes caused many buildings to collapse.

American rescue teams arrived to help. Fox News reported on June 28 that US search-and-rescue teams—called USAR teams—were involved in pulling the baby from the rubble. These teams normally work under US federal disaster protocols when they go to other countries. The fact that American teams are helping Venezuela is worth paying attention to: the US and Venezuela have had tense relations for a long time, but sometimes they cooperate on humanitarian emergencies.

Surviving 32 hours under collapsed building rubble is remarkable, especially for an infant. Newborns have very small bodies and cannot go long without food, water, or warmth. An AP video report confirmed that both mother and baby came out of the ruins alive.

Venezuela's emergency services have struggled for years because of economic problems that have weakened public institutions. When disasters strike, the country often depends on help from other nations. The full number of deaths and damage reports from the earthquakes have not yet been fully confirmed, and Venezuela's government records are not always trusted by independent observers. What is clear is that Venezuelan rescue workers and US teams worked together to save these two lives from the collapsed building.