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Venezuela: 235 dead in devastating, back-to-back earthquakes
Venezuela's Health Minister Carlos ?Alvarado said the death toll from the back-to-back earthquakes in the country has risen to at least 235.
"We've unfortunately received about 235 ?patients who arrived without ?vital ?signs ?or who ?passed away as they're arriving ?at ?our health centers," ?Alvarado ?said in an interview with state television.
US deploys warships, planes to aid quake response
The United States has said it’s deploying two warships, transport planes and helicopters to assist earthquake-hit Venezuela.
They include the amphibious transport ship USS Fort Lauderdale and the littoral combat ship USS Billings (LCS 15), as well as C-17 Globemaster and C-130 Hercules transport aircraft.
The US military's Southern Command said its forces would provide support for search-and-rescue teams and "US interagency partners as they assess damage, locate the injured, and deliver critical, life-saving assistance."
Washington has also pledged to provide $150 million in aid.
Earlier in the day, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had said the US would provide a "whole-of-government" response to the twin quakes.
Interim President Delcy Rodriguez visits earthquake epicenter
Venezuela's acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, has visited La Guaira, a state located near the capital, Caracas, that was among those hardest hit by Wednesday's devastating earthquakes.
From Macuto, a historic seaside city and civil parish in the state, Rodriguez — standing alongside Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and Parliament Speaker Jorge Rodríguez — addressed the nation, according to footage from the state-run TV channel Venezolana de Televisión (VTV).
"We hope to rescue as many people as possible while they are still alive," she said. "We have requested international assistance; the first rescue workers from the Dominican Republic are about to land, and others from other countries will arrive shortly."
