Korea to provide additional humanitarian aid for quake-hit Venezuela
An area destroyed by the earthquakes in La Guaira, Venezuela, June 24 / EPA-Yonhap
Korea will provide an additional $3.5 million in humanitarian aid to support Venezuela's recovery efforts following last month's devastating earthquakes, the foreign ministry said Tuesday.
The latest assistance comes on top of the $5 million in humanitarian aid that Seoul had previously pledged in response to the humanitarian crisis caused by the earthquakes on June 24, according to the ministry.
The earthquakes have so far killed at least 4,333 people and injured more than 16,740 others, according to foreign media reports citing Venezuelan authorities.
Of the additional package, $3 million will be provided through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and used for debris removal operations aimed at helping affected communities return to normal life as swiftly as possible, the ministry said.
Korea will also provide 30 tons of temporary shelters, including family tents worth $500,000, at the request of the Venezuelan government to support displaced residents, it added.
"The government decided to expand its assistance in light of the growing scale of damage and humanitarian needs in the earthquake-hit areas," the ministry said in a release.