Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, clarified this Wednesday that the authorities of Colombia did not authorize the deployment of brigades from the Mexican Army to support rescue efforts after the 7.4 magnitude earthquake recorded this Monday in the northwest of the country, which has left more than 260 dead and nearly 500 missing.
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“The brigade from the Secretariat of National Defense of Rescuers was not approved by the Government of Colombia,” she stated in a press conference where she indicated that Colombian authorities “requested” an initial certification and “are now asking for another.”
The president assured despite this that the brigade, which she emphasized has assisted in 98 countries, “is ready to depart at any moment.” However, her administration has sent “through Hercules planes, food supplies, medical supplies, and other items” requested by the government of Abelardo de la Espriella.
Mexican authorities plan to send to Colombia more than 58 tons of humanitarian aid, including water and medicines, by this Friday, Sheinbaum pointed out this Wednesday.
Her statements come after the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD) reported that it “only” accepts support for search and rescue of affected people from four countries: Israel, the United States, El Salvador, and Ecuador.
The director of the agency, David Tamayo, assured that these countries do “meet all international requirements” for this type of operation, in a press conference held this Wednesday when he took office.
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