Technology and Science28 June, 20262 min read
China Pledges $14.7 Million Emergency Aid to Venezuela After Earthquakes Kill More Than 1,450
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China pledges 100 million yuan emergency aid to Venezuela after deadly earthquakes. Aid amounts to about $14.7 million in emergency relief and reconstruction support.
Aid, satellites, and quake response
China pledged $14.7 million in emergency aid to Venezuela after two powerful earthquakes killed more than 1,450 people, with Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun saying the government would provide “emergency free relief supplies… to support earthquake relief and post-disaster reconstruction”. The CGTN report says the additional package of 100 million yuan (about $14 million) comes on top of cash assistance already provided, and that the supplies will support disaster relief operations and post-earthquake reconstruction.
Guo Jiakun also said China provided satellite imagery of the affected areas to assist Venezuela in earthquake rescue efforts, and the CGTN account adds that Chinese enterprises and local Chinese community organizations in Venezuela voluntarily contributed engineering equipment and medical supplies. The Ratopati report similarly says Beijing will provide free emergency relief materials and that the relief materials would be sent to Venezuela as soon as possible, while rescue teams remained engaged in search and relief operations in the affected areas.
Sichuan quake: injuries and evacuations
A 5.5-magnitude earthquake struck Gaoxian county in Yibin, Sichuan province, at 12.12am on June 29, injuring 13 people, according to the local authorities cited by The Straits Times. The Straits Times report says the China Earthquake Networks Center put the quake’s depth at 6km, and that Yibin’s earthquake relief headquarters activated a Level III emergency response immediately after the quake.
Thirteen people were taken to hospital for treatment of minor injuries, while 196 residents were evacuated to safe locations, and the report adds that relief efforts are under way and social order remains stable. The Straits Times also notes that China has a four-tier emergency response system, with Level I representing the highest level of response.
Community donations and casualties
In Venezuela, the Chinese Embassy in Venezuela said overseas Chinese had donated about 500 tons of quake relief supplies as of 16:00 local time (2000 GMT) Saturday, including bottled water, biscuits, diapers, milk, rice, sugar and fish. The embassy said the donations benefited nearly 10,000 families affected by the disaster, after two consecutive quakes measuring 7.2-magnitude and 7.5 magnitude hit Venezuela on Wednesday.
Venezuelan National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said Saturday that the death toll from the earthquakes had risen to 1,430, and the embassy also said the Chinese government would provide emergency humanitarian cash assistance to Venezuela. The South China Morning Post describes how Chinese Venezuelans turned community networks into a lifeline after the deadliest quakes in decades, quoting Lutao Cen saying, “I was devastated,” after his friend in La Guaira was seriously injured and his 13-year-old daughter died beneath the rubble.