Malta to send €140,000 to Venezuela after earthquakes leave thousands dead

Malta will donate €140,000 to Venezuela following two 7.5-magnitude earthquakes that left thousands dead, injured or missing, Foreign Affairs Minister Chris Fearne announced.

Speaking in parliament on Tuesday, Fearne said that while Malta is small, and its donation may be small too, the country still wants to show solidarity with Venezuela in this moment of crisis.

Fearne said the donation will be made through the Official Development Assistance Fund to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, as a show of Malta’s solidarity with Venezuela.

“We all believe in pluralism, liberty and solidarity,” Fearne said. “Thousands have died, the final toll is still unknown, and thousands more have been left without a roof over their heads.”

So far, around 1,500 people were confirmed dead after two 7.5-magnitude earthquakes hit Venezuela on Wednesday, according to the President of the National Assembly Jorge Rodriguez.

Another 12,721 were displaced by the strongest tremors to hit the nation in a century, while at least 68,900 people have been reported as unaccounted for by their families.

According to the United Nations Development Programme, direct physical damage is estimated at around 6% of Venezuela’s GDP, equivalent to $6.7 billion.

The Venezuelan government has faced criticism from affected communities, who say equipment and state support have been insufficient in responding to the disaster. 

People are still being pulled from the rubble, both dead and alive, as reports describe residents digging through the debris with their bare hands in search of missing loved ones.

International search and rescue teams from the UK, US, France, and Turkey have been deployed to Venezuela, carrying out rescue operations across affected areas in recent days.