Caracas.- Venezuela offered Colombia the deployment of rescue workers and humanitarian aid following the 7.4 magnitude earthquake that occurred this Monday morning in that country, which caused the death of at least 51 people.
“The Venezuelan Government, through bilateral cooperation mechanisms and civil protection agencies, makes available to the Colombian Government the dispatch of a group of rescuers and necessary humanitarian aid within the framework of full respect for its sovereignty and self-determination,” says the official statement.
In the text, published on social media by the Venezuelan Foreign Minister, Félix Plasencia, the Administration of the interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, expressed its “deepest solidarity and fraternity” with the Colombian people and the Government of President Abelardo de la Espriella.
Read more: Bolivia expresses its “profound solidarity” with Colombia and offers support after the earthquake
“In the face of this adversity affecting our Colombian brothers, Venezuela stands in solidarity with the families of the victims and with all those who have suffered damage and material losses. We reaffirm our commitment to the bonds of brotherhood, cooperation, and Latin American unity that unite us as neighboring peoples,” he said.
In addition, the Venezuelan Executive sent its “deepest condolences to the families of the victims” and wished a “speedy recovery for the injured and the affected areas.”
The department of Chocó, one of the poorest in Colombia, which does not have sufficient resources to handle an emergency of this magnitude, was the area where the epicenter of the earthquake was recorded, in the municipality of San José del Palmar, although the movement was felt strongly in a good part of central and western Colombia.
The earthquake, registered at 07:34 local time (12:34 GMT), had a depth of 82 kilometers, according to the Colombian Geological Service (SGC).
The number of victims is still being verified and authorities are continuing search, rescue, and damage assessment efforts in the affected areas.
Venezuelan authorities are assessing the effects of the earthquake in the states of Táchira and Zulia, which border Colombia.
Venezuela is still recovering from the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes it suffered on June 24, which left at least 6,125 dead, more than 16,700 injured, nearly 18,000 people homeless, and material damage that the World Bank estimates at 19.6 billion dollars.
