President says China ready to assist with disaster relief, reconstruction

President Xi Jinping sent a message of condolence on June 26 to Venezuela’s acting president Delcy Rodriguez after two powerful earthquakes struck the South American country, saying that China stands ready to provide assistance to Venezuela for disaster relief and reconstruction.

Xi said that he was shocked to learn about the death and devastation caused by the temblors that rocked Venezuela on June 24.

On behalf of the Chinese government and the Chinese people, he mourned those killed in the quakes and expressed sincere sympathy to the bereaved families and those injured.

He also expressed confidence that under the leadership of the Venezuelan government, the Venezuelan people will overcome the disaster and rebuild their homes at an early date.

According to Venezuelan authorities, the death toll stood at more than 2,200 as of July 1.

The Chinese embassy in Venezuela said nine Chinese nationals had been confirmed dead in the earthquakes as of July 1, Beijing time.

More than 11,000 people have been injured in the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 quakes that hit Venezuela within a minute of each other on June 24, while the United Nations reported that up to 68,000 could be missing.

The temblors were the strongest on national record in more than a century, and prompted the country to declare a state of emergency.

At a daily news conference on June 26 in Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said the Chinese government and the Red Cross Society of China will separately provide emergency humanitarian aid to Venezuela.

The Chinese embassy is making every effort to verify the safety of Chinese citizens in the quake zone and will actively provide necessary assistance, he said.

China stands ready to offer more support as the disaster response progresses, he added.

Rescue crews raced on June 28 to find survivors in the rubble as hopes dwindled more than three days after the earth roared and rumbled.

Tens of thousands of people were reported missing as collapsed buildings dotted cities in a country already enduring an economic crisis and political upheaval after United States special forces forcibly seized President Nicolas Maduro in January.

Millions of people were also feared to lack sanitation and other basic needs.

Experts say the first 72 hours after natural disasters are key for finding the living. After that, the search becomes one of recovering bodies.

An 11-year-old boy was rescued from the rubble in Caraballeda, in the north of the country, late on June 27, interim leader Rodriguez said.

The search for survivors saw local residents try to claw away rubble from collapsed buildings.

“It’s just very chaotic, hot and unorganized,” said Australian firefighter Craig De Meillon, 43, who traveled alone to La Guaira from Miami, Florida, to help. “Hopefully, there are more people to find.”

Venezuela’s government said on June 27 that 1,600 members of foreign rescue teams had arrived to help search for survivors as it tightened access to the worst-affected state.

Rodriguez said in an overnight address on state television that 10 more countries were still to join rescue efforts and 14,000 military and police members were in La Guaira to patrol and take sanitary measures.

Foreign Ministry official Oliver Blanco said on June 27 that in recent hours Venezuela had received 17 flights carrying more than 1,600 members of rescue teams, and that over the next 24 hours, 25 additional flights were expected.

The Chinese embassy said overseas Chinese in Venezuela donated about 500 metric tons of relief supplies, including bottled water, biscuits, diapers, milk, rice, sugar, and fish.

The supplies were donated by the Federation of Chinese Associations in Venezuela and other Chinese community groups as of June 27 afternoon, benefiting nearly 10,000 families affected by the disaster.

The International Organization for Migration said it had examined available population and damage data and had determined that “up to 6.76 million people could be affected”.

The United Nations estimated $6.7 billion in physical damage, equivalent to 6 percent of the country’s GDP.

Xinhua and agencies contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at zhoujin@chinadaily.com.cn