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Inditex, the textile group founded by Amancio Ortega, announced on Monday a donation of three million euros to the Spanish Red Cross to assist those affected by the devastating earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24, as confirmed by the Spanish Red Cross.
The contribution will be channeled through the Venezuelan Red Cross, in coordination with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and will focus on two areas of action during the initial phase of the emergency.
A portion of the funds will finance the deployment of a mobile clinic capable of serving 100 outpatient patients per day, offering triage services, first aid, patient stabilization, trauma care, and hospital referrals when necessary.
The rest will be allocated for the acquisition and distribution of essential items: water jugs, blankets, sheets, tarps, tents, and cooking, sleeping, and hygiene equipment to meet the basic needs of those affected.
Additionally, the multinational has set up an internal channel for its employees in Spain to make voluntary monetary contributions to the emergency.
The earthquakes that prompted the donation struck northern Venezuela on June 24 with just 39 seconds between them: two tremors of magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, with epicenters in the state of Yaracuy, the strongest recorded in the country since 1900 according to the United States Geological Survey.
The official toll as of this Monday was 1,719 dead, 5,034 injured, and 15,866 affected, figures that could be much higher: the UN estimates up to 50,000 missing, while the civic platform Encuéntralos reported between 55,000 and 60,000 people unaccounted for.
The disaster has a particularly painful dimension for the Cuban community: at least 32 Cubans remain missing, concentrated in the towns of Caraballeda, Catia La Mar, and Los Corales in the state of La Guaira, the most devastated by the earthquakes.
A Cuban family of six members was found dead under the rubble on June 28, and the death of the girl Vanessa Martínez, originally from Melena del Sur, was also confirmed.
The United Nations Development Programme estimated the direct damages from the earthquakes at $6.7 billion, equivalent to 6% of Venezuela's gross domestic product, in a country that was already experiencing a severe humanitarian crisis prior to the quakes.
It is not the first time that Inditex has responded with a donation of this magnitude in the face of a natural disaster: in February 2023, the company already contributed three million euros and 500,000 coats to the Red Crescent following the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, now replicating exactly the same amount and aid mechanism.
The international response to the Venezuelan disaster has been extensive: 16 countries deployed over 1,000 rescuers, the United States contributed $150 million in humanitarian aid, and the European Union committed five million euros in emergency assistance.
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