Caricom relief ship sails for Venezuela with supplies from St Kitts and Nevis and six other states
The vessel left Port Georgetown carrying nearly 90 containers of aid, water tanks and excavators, while Haiti is sending 29 medical specialists.
GEORGETOWN, Guyana. A vessel carrying nearly 90 containers of food, medical supplies and other goods from Caribbean Community nations sailed from Port Georgetown late on Monday, bound for earthquake-hit Venezuela, where nearly 4,000 people have died.
Officials said the ship carries supplies from Belize, The Bahamas, St Lucia, Grenada, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, and St Vincent and the Grenadines as part of a collective regional effort.
It is also taking 300 black plastic water tanks and two heavy-duty excavators to help relief workers clear rubble, as the operation in Venezuela has shifted from rescue to the recovery of bodies.
‘A national and regional effort’
Guyana’s Finance Minister Ashni Singh, who watched the vessel depart, praised the response from local and regional organisations.
“We saw a significant government effort, but we also saw a remarkable response by the Guyanese private sector. We saw a remarkable response by Guyanese citizens. We saw a remarkable response by Venezuelan citizens living in Guyana,” he told reporters.
He said President Irfaan Ali had reached out to his Caricom counterparts, several of whom responded favourably.
Singh said the goods would be handed to the US relief team on the ground in Venezuela “for consolidation into the broader mobilisation effort and for deployment in an optimal manner for the benefit of the Venezuelan people.”
Haiti contributes
Haiti, despite nearly five years of attacks by heavily armed groups on state institutions, is sending 29 medical specialists in fields including orthopaedics, surgery, anaesthesiology, gynaecology and internal medicine, along with 5.5 tons of essential medical supplies.
“We did not come here to deliver leftovers, but to share what little we have with the Bolivarian people of Venezuela, as a sign of solidarity and fraternity,” said Health Minister Sinal Bertrand.
He said the specialists were ready to serve the Venezuelan government “for 15, 20, or 30 days, or even as long as necessary.”
