In the wake of a deadly volcanic eruption that killed at least 25 people in Guatemala, Israel will send emergency-aid money for supplies.
There is currently no report as to whether Israel will send search-and-rescue and medical teams to the country, whose Volcan deFuego erupted before noon on Sunday, sending lava pouring down streets by 4 p.m. At least 18 bodies were found in the rural community of San Miguel Los Lotes, with homes reportedly burning in El Rodeo, approximately 37 miles southwest of the nation’s capital, Guatemala City.
Dramatic footage showed travelers attempting to escape the volcano fleeing for their lives as lava streamed onto a highway between Sacatepequez and Escuintla.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry said it would send an initial $10,00 to the country to buy medical supplies, food and blankets for locals affected by the eruption, and would “carry out an evaluation with the Guatemalan authorities” regarding further support.
Israel’s ties with Guatemala were strengthened considerably last month when President Jimmy Morales made good on his promise to move the Guatemalan embassy to Jerusalem. A festive grand opening ceremony at the Malha Technological Park was attended by Morales alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, just two days after the United States inaugurated its own embassy in Jerusalem.
Netanyahu hailed the event as “the beginning of something extraordinary,” with Morales calling the Israel-Guatemala relationship a “love between brothers.”
