The second plane of the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry carrying humanitarian aid to Chile, which has been devastated by a series of earthquakes, landed in Santiago on Saturday in a move earlier initiated by President Dmitry Medvedev.
The Il-76 plane brought a 28-ton humanitarian cargo comprising tents, diesel generators, blankets and dishes. Chile's Defense Minister Francisco Vidal, Russian ambassador to Chile Yury Filatov and other diplomats from the Russian embassy met the plane at the international airport in Santiago. The first Russian Emergencies Ministry's plane with relief supplies on board arrived in Santiago late on Thursday. A devastating earthquake measuring 8.8 on the Richter scale struck near the city of Concepcion on February 27, killing at least 452 people and leaving 2 million more homeless, according to the latest official reports.
Many more remain missing as a result of the disaster that damaged about 1, 5 million houses, officials say, adding that more than 500 people were hospitalized.
In Moscow, Marina Vasilyeva, of the Committee for Cooperation with Latin American Countries, touts Russia's step to render humanitarian aid to quake-hit Chile.
"Russia knows full well what an earthquake's aftermath is, Vasilyeva says, citing a massive quake that rode roughshod over the Armenian town of Spitak in 1988. At the time, people from all across the-then Soviet Union signaled their determination to contribute to shoring up the quake-ravaged Spitak, Vasilyeva goes on to say. That is why Moscow was quick to lend humanitarian support to Chile, Vasilyeva says, singling out her committee's soon-to-be-held charity action to that effect. We all should realize that addressing an array of modern-day challenges is only possible through join efforts, Vasilyeva underlines. In this regard, Moscow adds significantly to creating what is now known as the World of Nations, she adds, praising President Medvedev's call for the rendering of an immediate humanitarian assistance to quake-jolted Chile".
For their part, the Chilean authorities expressed gratitude to Russia for providing their country with timely aid that crucially comes ahead of the 11 March hand-over of presidential power from Michelle Bachelet to Sebastian Pinera. The new Chilean leader will have to grapple with both humanitarian and economic crisis in the country - a formidable task that analysts say should be resolved by both the state and ordinary people. Pundits point out that all eyes are currently on the international community that is yet to allocate significant sums to quake-stricken Chile.
Importantly, Russian medics and rescuers earlier added substantially to tackling another horrendous quake that ripped through Haiti on January, killing hundreds of thousands of people there. Moscow quickly sent humanitarian aid to Haiti, including mobile hospitals, which were immediately appreciated by local and Western doctors.
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