UN agencies, partners reach over 65000 people with aid in Ecuador

A three-day supply of food aid has reached more than 65,000 people in Manabi and Esmeraldas provinces in Ecuador, which was hit by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake on April 16, UN spokesman told reporters here Monday.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that several member states, UN agencies and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have activated internal emergency funding and have provided in-kind supplies and other forms of assistance to the Andean country.

The World Food Programme (WFP) also plans to introduce cash transfers and will conduct a food security assessment in coordination with the government and partners, he said.

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) has provided water purification tablets, water tanks and containers as well as set up latrines in affected areas, he said.

The powerful quake struck Ecuador on April 16, killing 658 people and injuring 27,638 others as of last week, according to the government of Ecuador.

A total of 1.9 million people have been affected, including an estimated 350,000 people who need assistance.

More than 29,000 people are staying across 103 displacement sites.

Source: XINHUA