The death toll has risen to 38 after a cruise ship capsized in Ha Long Bay, northern Vietnam's Quang Ninh Province, on Saturday afternoon, Vietnam News Agency reported.
The tragic incident occurred during a sudden thunderstorm that swept through the region. According to reports from local media, the vessel was carrying 53 people at the time of the accident, 48 of them tourists and five crew members.
Local authorities in Quang Ninh Province launched immediate rescue operations following the capsizing. So far, 12 individuals have been rescued.
Search and rescue efforts remain ongoing.
Footage from the scene, capturing the rescue operations, was recorded by a CGTN stringer.
Death toll rises to 38 in cruise ship accident in N. Vietnam
Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez said on Sunday that the country is at a critical stage and must achieve national unity, emphasizing that maintaining internal cohesion is of utmost importance.
In a televised address, Rodriguez called on the public to continue trusting the government under the current highly complex political circumstances.
Her statement comes in the wake of a January 3 military operation conducted by the United States, during which Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were taken into custody and flown out of the country.
The operation resulted in at least 100 fatalities.
Rodriguez, who was sworn in as acting president two days later on January 5, framed her appeal for unity against this backdrop of external intervention.
Meanwhile, Venezuelan Minister of Communication and Information Freddy Nanez denounced the U.S. actions as a "war crime of the 21st century" when speaking at an international cultural event on Sunday.
Nanez condemned not only the January 3 airstrikes but also the associated cyber and electromagnetic attacks.
He accused the United States of violating international law through the forced removal of President Maduro and his wife, while attacks on civilian infrastructure, including medical facilities, represent a flagrant breach of humanitarian norms.
He reiterated that the stigmatization and military attacks against Venezuela are driven by economic interests, particularly the desire to control its abundant natural resources.
Venezuelan acting president calls for national unity amid complex situation
