Jews in various small communities in Ecuador have suffered seriously from the earthquakes that ruined fifty towns and villages last Friday, it was reported here today in a message received from the Quite office of the Joint Distribution Committee.
The message said that the J.D.C. office in Quite is rushing emergency aid to the needy Jews, most of whom suffered “tremendous damage.” Reports in the Argentine press estimate that damages suffered by the population in the affected areas exceed $20,000,000 and may go much higher.
Jacob Lightman, director of the Joint Distribution Committee for Latin American countries, offered to send from Buenos Aires medical aid and food for the Jewish victims to be distributed through J.D.C. representatives in Quito and Guayaquil. He emphasized that in addition to the emergency relief now supplied by the J.D.C. office in Quito, more aid may be needed from Buenos Aires.
No details on the extent of the damage suffered by the Jews are as yet available and no information has been received as to the number of Jewish dead. The press here reports that an emergency airlift is hauling supplies into the quake-stricken areas and bringing out injured survivors to towns where hospital facilities are available. Bodies dug out of the rubble are placed in isolated spots in order to prevent epidemics, the reports from Quite state.
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