Venezuela sends 20 tons of aid to St Vincent

St Vincent and the Grenadines received 20 tons of humanitarian aid from Venezuela on Monday.

SVG Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, and the Venezuelan vice minister for the Caribbean, Raúl Li Causi, announced this on their Twitter accounts.

Gonsalves and Li Causi received a Venezuelan navy ship in the south of St Vincent after the eruption of the La Soufriere volcano, in the north of the island.

The shipment is part of aid that will begin to arrive over the next few days, co-ordinated by the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA).

Li Causi, who was appointed by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to co-ordinate the aid from St Vincent, said the ship brought 17,000 litres of water, non-perishable food, mattresses and personal hygiene kits.

Li Causi said Venezuela also sent 15 medical specialists, first responders and experts in search-and-rescue efforts. The 15 medical staff will be made available to the local disaster centre for evacuation tasks and then for reconstruction.

Li Causi said the Venezuelan ship will work to establish a seabridge with other nearby islands and Cuba.

Gonsalves thanked Venezuela for the shipment.

He tweeted: “Our brothers and sisters from the Bolivarian Republic of Veneuela have come to our aid, sending a ship with much needed supplies and equipment. We are eternally grateful for the generosity of Comrade @NicolasMaduro, the government and people of Venezuela.”

He said it is not the first time that Venezuela has helped SVG in the last 20 years, so it did not surprise him that the aid arrived so quickly after the eruption.