Press Release

OFID extends emergency grant to aid earthquake victims in Chile

03/2010 March 3, 2010 Vienna, Austria
Press inquiries:

The OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) has approved a grant of US$250,000 to provide essential relief supplies and help finance emergency operations to aid victims of a massive earthquake that struck the coast of Chile on the 27th of February. According to the latest estimates, over 700 people have perished and more than two million have been affected by the disaster.

The 8.8 magnitude quake hit close to the town of Maule, approximately 350 kilometers southwest of the capital Santiago, where buildings have collapsed and phone and power lines have been brought down. The epicenter was just 90 kilometers from Concepcion, Chile’s second-largest city. Many of Concepcion's 500,000 inhabitants are experiencing food and water shortages, and are cut off from electricity supplies. Major infrastructure, including bridges, water mains and hospitals, has sustained considerable damage.

The Chilean National Emergency Office, working in close coordination with the Chilean Red Cross Society (CRCS), has immediately activated response mechanisms and mobilized emergency intervention teams and volunteers. The cost of repairing the damage is estimated at between US$15 billion - US$30 billion. Necessary steps have been undertaken by the CRCS, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), donor governments and other international donor agencies to provide support and assistance to the population. Proceeds from OFID’s grant, which will be channeled through the IFRC, will help fund these relief efforts.

  Arabic version