Bulgaria Sends Blankets to Disaster-struck Japan

A handout picture provided by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) shows elderly people around a small kerosene stove in the high school evacuation center in Ostuchi, Iwate prefecture, Japan. Photo by EPA/BGNES

Bulgaria is sending a large number of blankets to Japan as humanitarian help, Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, announced Thursday.

The decision was made by the cabinet Wednesday.

Borisov says the Bulgarian authorities are in constant touch and have up-to-the minute coordination with Bulgaria's EU Commissioner on International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, Kristalina Georgieva, in order to be instructed about the delivery locations because transport is expensive.

The cabinet further informs there is readiness to purchase more blankets if needed while for the time being human resources, such as firefighters, would not be sent to Japan.

On Wednesday, Georgieva stated this has been unprecedented disaster, regarding the number of affected people, whose long-term results for Japan, the region and the world, remain yet unknown.

"The Japanese are highly prepared to deal with this disaster, but the earthquake, the tsunami and the Nuclear Power Plants crisis will have serious consequence for the entire country and the world all while the number of casualties, the missing, those in temporary shelters and without electric power and water is staggering," the Bulgarian Commissioner pointed out.

In addition to blankets and firefighters, in the aftermath of the devastating 9 point on the Richter scale earthquake that hit Japan on March 11, and the following 10-meter tsunami, Bulgaria also offered to send bottled mineral water, food and to house Japanese people in the country.

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