Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says the situation in Venezuela following two catastrophic earthquakes is “horrific” and Canada will look to expand its humanitarian support for the region.
The rare double earthquakes struck northern Venezuela 39 seconds apart on Wednesday, and officials reported Friday the death toll had risen to 920, with more than 3,360 people injured.
Canada announced Thursday it’s providing $5 million in humanitarian aid to support emergency relief efforts in Venezuela and Anand said Friday Canada is looking to do more on that front.
During a press conference Thursday, Prime Minister Mark Carney said the lack of an embassy in Venezuela makes distributing aid there more difficult.
Anand said Friday the government is working with its mission in Colombia to help the roughly 800 Canadians registered in the area and is also in touch with the United Kingdom to look at working together on a humanitarian response.
Canada and Venezuela have not formally severed relations but Ottawa closed its Caracas embassy in June 2019 after Venezuela refused to renew expiring visas for diplomats.
