Haiti’s Government thanked Colombia’s Interior Minister Fabio Valencia Cossio for his country’s speed in sending help to the earthquake-stricken Caribbean country.
Valencia went to Haiti on Thursday on an airplane carrying rescue teams, medical supplies and food for the many thousands of victims of what appears to be the Americas’ biggest disaster ever.
The interior and justice minister met with the UN secretary for Haiti, Paul Aghadkaniana, and the island’s first minister, Jean-Max Bellerive.
In the meeting, Valencia expressed his government’s solidarity with the people of Haiti and promised that the rescue teams will stay on the island as long as necessary.
In response, Bellerive thanked Colombia for its quick response.
“Colombia arrived very quickly without Haiti expressing its needs. They arrived with their heart and will. The help is not just for an emergency, the Colombian government hasn’t left us alone,” the Haitian official said.
Countries around the world are sending specialized medical and rescue teams, food supplies and medical equipment. However, according to international media on the island, the rescue efforts are chaotic and the chances of an epidemic grow bigger each day. So far, more than 50,000 deaths have been counted, but local authorities estimate that half a million are dead.