The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Radosław Sikorski, has made the decision to provide humanitarian aid to the victims of the earthquake in China. PLN 220 thousand, equivalent to USD 100 thousand , will be transferred to support the humanitarian aid efforts of the Red Cross Society of China.

        The strongest earthquake to hit China in more than 30 years struck on 12th May. The biggest losses have been reported in Sichuan province, where the earthquake reached 7.8 on the Richter scale. Other provinces, including Shaanxi, Gansu, Yunnan, were also affected, as was the town of Chongqing. The death toll continues to rise. According to the latest news, almost 10 thousand people have been killed. Relief efforts are being hampered by unfavourable weather conditions and the destruction done to the transport infrastructure.

        The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also provided humanitarian aid to the people of China last year, granting PLN 105 thousand in humanitarian aid to flood victims. The funds, which were transferred through the agency of the Red Cross Society of China, were then allocated to the reconstruction of schools and health care centres destroyed by the flood.

Piotr Paszkowski
MFA Press Spokesman