Sawt Falasteen - Venezuela's quake-hit La Guaira port 'operational': US military

Devastating back-to-back 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes struck near Venezuela's Caribbean coast last week, collapsing buildings, damaging the country's main airport and leaving more than 1,700 people dead and tens of thousands missing.

The port -- one of Venezuela's two main ports -- "is now operational, and the USS Fort Lauderdale is using the port to deliver critically needed supplies and equipment to Venezuela," US Southern Command said in a statement, referring to a US warship dispatched to assist with aid efforts.

Earlier on Monday, a senior US administration official told journalists that a "specialized team of Marines" was "working around the clock" to repair the port.

The US State Department also announced that Washington has pledged more than $300 million in funding to aid Venezuela, up from a previous commitment of $150 million.

"These funds will provide emergency medical care, food assistance, water and sanitation, shelter, protection, and logistics," the State Department said in a statement.

The money is being directed through partner organizations including Samaritan's Purse, Catholic Relief Services, the International Organization for Migration, the World Food Programme and the Red Cross, the statement said.

Washington has also deployed four urban search-and-rescue teams to Venezuela that are made up of more than 300 first responders and almost two dozen search dogs, it added.

The US assistance for Venezuela comes as ties between Washington and Caracas have warmed in recent months after American forces captured former president Nicolas Maduro in January and the Trump administration began working with an interim government led by Delcy Rodriguez.

T.Samara--SF-PST