A cargo plane carrying 11 tons of humanitarian aid from the Bolivian government has been sent to Mexico following the massive, devastating earthquake that happened on September 19th in the center of the country, taking at least 338 lives.
The cargo consists of non-perishable food, sanitary equipment, and two thousand blankets.
“Bolivia can share the little it has with Mexico. We are going to continue sharing what we can with hurricane-affected countries,” Bolivian President Evo Morales said via his Twitter account.
According to Bolivia’s minister of defense, Reymi Ferreira, this is only the first of several flights committed by Morales to Mexico, and more will be sent to both Mexico and the Caribbean as both regions reel from natural disasters.
“It is part of a policy that was initiated by the President many years ago, in order to reciprocate the support that we have received during our floods,” Ferreira said.
Last week, Bolivia sent a similar shipment of aid to Cuba as it recovers from the damages caused by Hurricane Irma, and is also collaborating with other Caribbean islands affected by the storm, such as Antigua and Barbuda.
Following two earthquakes in Mexico, separated by an interval of only 12 days, Mexico has suffered severe damage that killed at least 338 people, and destroyed the homes of at least 250,000 people. Cost of reconstruction is estimated to be at least US$2 billion.