Cologne/Mexico City. Malteser International is prepared to support relief efforts in Mexico following the devastating earthquake that struck on September 19. A team of volunteers from the local aid service of the Order of Malta has been dispatched to Mexico City to provide urgent rescue and first-aid measures. The magnitude 7.1 earthquake hit central and southern Mexico, killing over 240 people and destroying many buildings, including the headquarters of the Mexican Association of the Order of Malta as well as school run by its aid service in the country.
“The people of Mexico will need help to rebuild their lives and infrastructure after this disaster,” said Ingo Radtke, Malteser International’s Secretary General. “The Mexican Association of the Order of Malta is well positioned and equipped for emergency intervention. We are in close contact with our colleagues in Mexico, and are standing ready to offer any support they would need in their relief efforts.”
The earthquake comes barely two weeks after a powerful 8.1 magnitude tremor hit off the coast of south-eastern Mexico and killed at least 90 people. Over 500 volunteers from the Mexican Order of Malta’s aid service are already providing humanitarian assistance to communities affected by that disaster in the state of Oaxaca.
Malteser International has supported the activities of the Mexican Association of the Order of Malta since the severe flooding that occurred in the state of Tabasco in October 2007. With about 2,000 volunteers, the association of the Order of Malta in Mexico is active in the areas of health, nutrition, income creation measures, as well as emergency relief and disaster risk reduction.
For editors:
Ingo Radtke, Secretary General, Malteser International is available for interviews.
Contact: Tel.: +49 (0)221 9822 203, michael.etoh(at)malteser-international.org
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Reference: Earthquake relief in Mexico
