Part of the municipal corporation observed a minute’s silence on Monday 29th, in memory of the victims of the devastating earthquake that has struck Venezuela. The council conveyed its official condolences and activated logistical aid protocols to channel public solidarity in light of the severity of the disaster.
The mayoress, Ana Mata (PP), led the tribute and outlined the immediate measures put in place by the local government team to ensure an effective response. “From the very first moment, I was in contact with Father Hermán Marcel Lunar, parish priest of the Inmaculada Church in Mijas Pueblo, who is also Venezuelan and a close collaborator with an association with which he works internationally to provide medical aid”, said the mayoress.
Given the extreme difficulty of transporting supplies to the affected areas, Mata emphasised the urgent need to channel support through secure channels: “We know that this week medical supplies will be shipped to Venezuela, to the area where the earthquake struck. All collaboration will be channelled through reliable entities and NGOs so we can be sure that all this aid reaches those most in need”.
The mayoress also announced a special mass in memory of the victims and those affected, scheduled for this Thursday, 2nd of July, at 20:00 at the Inmaculada Concepción Church.
The impact on the local community
The earthquake has directly affected the large Caribbean community living in our town, who are following the rescue and clearance operations from afar with deep anguish. The spokesperson for the Mijas PP (PP), Mario Bravo, expressed support for this community, stating that “we have observed a minute’s silence, firstly to show our respect and affection for the more than 600 Venezuelans living with us in Mijas, and secondly, to demonstrate our full commitment and solidarity with those suffering the consequences of this earthquake”.
The PP group called for institutional stability in the South American country to tackle the imminent reconstruction phase. “The state needs to be rebuilt. Venezuela is in a politically unstable situation and it would be desirable for elections to be held as soon as possible, so that there is a government backed by the majority", said the councillor.
Deployment of personnel and national mourning
The spokesperson for Por Mi Pueblo, Juan Carlos Maldonado, expressed his specific gratitude to the teams deployed to the epicentres of the disaster. Various emergency personnel, including the Military Emergency Unit (UME) and Andalusian provincial fire consortia, were urgently dispatched to the region to work against the clock on relief efforts. “I would like to thank everyone for their international support, especially Spain and, in particular, Málaga, with its Fire Service Consortium, which always demonstrates its full support and cooperation in such situations”, said Maldonado, expressing the shared hope of rescuing alive those citizens who still remain trapped under the rubble.
The provisional toll from the disaster is indeed critical, necessitating the mobilisation of military units and state humanitarian organisations to provide assistance on the ground. Laura Moreno, a councillor for the Socialist Municipal Group, highlighted the terrible scale of the tragedy and conveyed “her condolences to the more than 1,400 families who have lost a loved one, and specifically also to the 17 Spaniards who, as far as we know, have died and the more than 150 Spaniards who are still missing”. Moreno highlighted the operational role played by organisations such as the Red Cross and Caritas in channelling resources, and described the state’s logistical support for these organisations as essential to ensuring the success of the relief operations.
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