LatinNews Daily - 06 June 2018

Guatemala: The Guatemalan government led by President Jimmy Morales has announced a reconstruction plan in response to the devastation caused by the 3 June eruption of the Fuego volcano, which has affected three departments in particular: Sacatepéquez, Escuintla, and Chimaltenango. On 4 June the government declared a state of calamity in the three departments which suspends procedures under the public procurement & state contracting law for the contracting of government suppliers and has the objective of re-establishing essential services and infrastructure. According to Defence Minister Luis Miguel Ralda, the plan provides for the drawing up of a census of those affected, with the budget for the construction of housing to be announced as soon as this has been finalised – to be carried out by the military engineers’ corps and the ministry of communications, infrastructure & housing (MICIV). The latest figures from the national coordinator for disaster reduction (Conred) put the death toll at 70, with 46 people injured, 192 missing, 3,271 evacuated, and 1.7m affected.

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