Dublin / Panama, 17 April 2016 – UNICEF has delivered 20,000 water purification tablets to Pedernales, the area worst affected by the earthquake that hit Ecuador on Saturday. A UNICEF team is on the ground assessing the impact of the quake on children.
At least 246 people are confirmed to have died so far and more than 2,500 people have been injured. Those numbers are likely to increase.
The damage is heaviest in Pedernales, Chone, Muisne, Bahía de Caráquez, Manta, Portoviejo, Esmeraldas and Guayaquil, prompting the Government to declare a state of emergency.
UNICEF will continue to work with humanitarian partners to provide education, protection and water and sanitation supplies, including school kits and tents. Urgent priorities include preventing the spread of diseases, protecting children who may get separated from their families, providing affected children with psychosocial support and offering them temporary learning opportunities.
UNICEF needs $1 million to meet the immediate needs of quake-affected children, and is accepting donations here.
NOTES FOR EDITORS
About UNICEF
UNICEF promotes the rights and well-being of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere. An important part of UNICEF’s work is its disaster response programmes.
For more information about UNICEF and its work visit: www.unicef.ie. Follow UNICEF on Twitter or Facebook.
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