Many residents in La Guaira state, which was hard hit by recent devastating earthquakes in Venezuela, are being sheltered in tents donated by China after being forced to sleep outdoors due to a shortage of temporary shelter.
At a temporary shelter in La Guaira, residents have set up over 30 China-donated tents and are now busy turning them into their new temporary homes.
Ines, a resident at the shelter, lost her home in the earthquakes. She and her husband had been sleeping outside until Chinese-donated tents arrived, offering them a makeshift shelter.
"The tents donated by China are big and spacious. We're going to sleep in them tonight, and we can move in today (July 11). We've been sleeping outdoors ever since the earthquakes, and now that it's the rainy season, these tents can keep the rain off us," Ines said.
The first batch of emergency humanitarian relief supplies provided by the Chinese government arrived in Venezuela on July 6. The supplies, totaling over 80 tonnes, included generators, water purifiers, sterilizers, solar lights, tents and blankets.
On July 11, the tents were set up in La Guaira. Additional Chinese relief supplies will be rolled out to quake-hit residents after coordination by the Venezuelan government.
"We are grateful for all the support China has given us. This aid is truly invaluable to us. We can't imagine what we would have become without the help from China and other countries," said Rosbel, another resident.
"The aid has really helped local people a lot. We also hope that those in other affected areas can get help too," said Alejandro, another resident.
Since the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes struck within seconds of each other on June 24, the death toll has risen to 4,490, with 16,740 injured, National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said on Sunday.
China-donated tents offer shelter for quake-hit Venezuelan residents
