(Adnkronos) – Foreign, defence and civil protection ministers Antonio Tajani, Guido Crosetto and Nello Musumeci are coordinating an initial humanitarian air lift to Venezuela, where two powerful earthquakes struck late on Wednesday, less than a minute apart, with up to 10,000 people feared dead.
“Together with Ministers Crosetto and Musumeci, we are already working to send the first aid from #Italy to #Venezuela,” Tajani wrote Thursday on X.
“Italy is ready to immediately deploy personnel from the foreign ministry’s crisis unit, the defence ministry, the fire brigade, and the civil protection department. Aircraft from the @ItalianAirForce will also be deployed,” the post continued.
“The government will do everything possible to help the Venezuelan people and stand by the large Italian community living there,” the post concluded.
The first magnitude 7.2 quake hit at 2204 GMT with an epicentre 21 kilometres west of the costal two of Moron and within a minute, a magnitude 7.5 quake struck about 45 km away, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said.
Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodriguez said at least 164 people died and nearly 1000 were injured as buildings collapsed but there is a risk the death toll from the quakes could reach 10,000 or more, according to the USGS.
