CANBERRA, July 2 (Xinhua) -- The Australian government on Thursday committed 2 million Australian dollars (1.4 million U.S. dollars) in humanitarian aid for Venezuela following the June earthquakes that caused thousands of deaths.
Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong and Minister for International Development Anne Aly, said in a joint statement that the funding will support communities affected by the dual earthquakes that hit northern Venezuela on June 24.
They said that Australia's funding will contribute to emergency food, shelter, water, sanitation, hygiene and psychosocial support for affected communities as well as transport, storage, coordination and logistics for first responders and local authorities.
The official death toll from the earthquakes rose to 2,295 on Wednesday, according to authorities in Venezuela, with tens of thousands more still missing.
Wong said on Tuesday that the government was providing consular assistance to seven Australians in Venezuela who had asked for help. ■
