Taiwan donated 1,000 metric tons of rice to diplomatic ally Guatemala June 20 to support disaster relief efforts following the Fuego volcano eruption earlier this month.
 
Vice Foreign Minister Jose Maria Liu presented the supplies on behalf of the government to Guatemala Ambassador Olga Maria Aguja Zuniga in northern Taiwan’s Taoyuan City. Taiwan is also sending packaged food, storage containers and financial assistance, including funding to help turn Guatemalan first lady Patricia Marroquin’s office into a temporary clinic and shelter, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
 
The donations are an expression of heartfelt sympathy on behalf of the people of Taiwan, the MOFA said, adding that they also demonstrate the close bonds of friendship between the two nations. Taiwan’s representatives in the Central American ally will continue to closely monitor and support relief efforts going forward, the ministry added.
 
Taiwan-based private sector groups also dispatched humanitarian aid to Guatemala in the wake of the disaster. This includes donations of necessities such as blankets, clothing and food from Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation and Overseas Engineering and Construction Co.
 
Fuego erupted suddenly at around noon local time June 3. The fast-moving pyroclastic flow gave little to no time for evacuations and has complicated rescue operations. According to the MOFA, 110 people were killed, 197 are missing and 12,000 have been displaced by the disaster. (KWS-E)
 
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