The European Union has earmarked six million Euro (USD 8.4 million dollars) to provide follow-up aid to the victims of an earthquake in Peru in August, officials confirmed September 20.
“One month after the disaster, the humanitarian consequences of the August 15 earthquake are far beyond what was initially estimated, and the affected people still depend entirely on humanitarian aid for their survival,” the European Commission (EC) announced in a statement.
The Commission - the executive body of the EU - had already in August offered two million Euro in fast-track aid to victims of the massive earthquake, which devastated coastal areas of Peru, causing hundreds of deaths and leaving thousands homeless.
“With this new decision, the EC will target the most vulnerable and affected persons,” the statement said.
The EC is a regular contributor to global disaster-relief efforts. In the last two months alone, it has allocated over 20 million Euro in relief funds to hurricane victims in the Caribbean and flood victims in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Colombia, Sudan and North Korea.