Santiago - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Friday praised Chileans for their "courage and resilience" in the face of the historic strongest earthquake ever registered when he arrived in the Chilean capital to offer UN support and comfort. Ban made the lengthy trip to South America to gain a full picture of the scale of destruction so the UN can fashion a package of assistance and coordinate future aid, the UN said.
"I am very moved to see such strong courage and resilience of the Chilean people," Ban said upon his arrival. He was met by Chile's Foreign Minister Mariano Fernandez and Alicia Barcena, head of the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).
"Chile has been extraordinary generous in assisting Haiti in its time of need," Ban said. "Now is the moment for the UN and the international community to stand with Chile and its people."
"We are ready to help provide any assistance that the Chilean government requests, immediate and long-term," Ban said.
Ban visited Port-au-Prince, capital of Haiti, a few days after it was struck by a magnitude-7 earthquake on January 12. The quake killed more than 230,000 Haitians and destroyed key areas in the capital.
It is unclear how many Chileans have been killed. The government had taken the toll to 803, but since dropped it to 279 bodies found. The February 27 quake registered at 8.8 on the Richter Scale, the strongest ever registered by seismologists.
Ban held talks with outgoing Chilean President Michelle Bachelet and her replacement, President-elect Sebastian Pinera.
Ban was to travel to Concepcion on Saturday, 300 miles south of Santiago, and the adjacent town of Talcahuano, both near the quake's epicenter.
Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/312718,ban-chileans-undaunted-by-strong-earthquakes-destruction.html.
An Open Letter to Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan
9 years ago
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.