Spain is set to send humanitarian supplies to Colombia in an effort to alleviate some of the strain on the Colombian state caused by the rainy season, El Espectador reports.
The Spanish Agency of International Cooperation for Development (AECID) on Thursday will ship 22 tons of non-food humanitarian aid from its logistical center in Panama.
The aid is aimed at helping some 5,000 people affected by the recent heavy flooding throughout the country and will be complemented by the purchase and distribution of $295,900 worth of staple aid products and contributions by the AECID to humanitarian organizations working on the ground in Colombia.
In a statement by the AECID, figures for those affected by the floods since April 2010 were put at more than 2.8 million, the worst hit department being Bolivar with around 400,000 people needing help.
This is slightly under figures that have been coming out in Colombian media this week that have said the number has already surpassed 3 million since the devastating weather began last year.
This year’s rainy season is expected to last through the end of May and then return once again in September.