Venezuela thanks China for earthquake relief and donations

Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez has expressed gratitude to China for its humanitarian support following last week's deadly earthquakes.

At least 1,943 people died and another 10,571 injured in the earthquakes with 15,866 displaced people provided with shelter. Rescue missions continue in Venezuela as international search and rescue teams pull a 12-year-old boy from the rubble of a building in La Guaira that had collapsed following the powerful earthquakes.

Teams from Ecuador in coordination with a team from the Dominican Republic rescued the boy who had been trapped under rubble of a building in the Macuto area of La Guaira for five days.

This as the Country Director for the World Food Program in Venezuela virtually briefed members of the media Tuesday of the ongoing response after last week's earthquakes Stephanie Hochstetter, WFP Country Director Venezuela said "I am right now in the first food distribution point that the World Food Program has set up in the temporary integrated service centers where the government

has requested the UN to provide support and where the operations are already underway.Search and rescue efforts are now giving way to a full-blown humanitarian response. And the need for food, safe water, shelter and just essential services is immediate and critical."

She went on to say the WFP has more than 3,000 metric tons of food in the country, enough to feed more than 10,000 families for two months.

This as the acting president posted on social media that China had stood with the Venezuelan people in the aftermath of the disaster.

Adding China's assistance will be used to support post-quake reconstruction efforts, including housing construction and the procurement of essential supplies, equipment and materials.

She sincerely thanked China for its humanitarian assistance and donations.