WFP to Scale up Emergency Operation to Reach 260,000 People in Ecuador Earthquake Zone (For the Media)

The United Nations World Food Programme announced today the start of an emergency operation to assist 260,000 vulnerable and food insecure people seriously affected by the earthquake in Ecuador and in desperate need of food and other basic necessities. The earthquake, the worst in Ecuador’s history, has left more than 600 people dead and over 12,000 injured mostly in coastal areas. According to estimates by government and international agencies, 520,000 Ecuadorians were directly affected by this disaster and require food assistance. The first WFP food supplies reached the stricken area only three days after the earthquake but now the scale of the impact is becoming clearer. WFP relies entirely on voluntary funding from governments, companies and private individuals.  The cost of the three month operation designed to support the overall government response to the earthquake is US$34 million.