CHARITY bosses in Leyland are preparing to send emergency supplies to flood-hit Venezuela, where 500,000 people spent Christmas and New Year homeless.

Workers at International Aid spent the festive period preparing blankets, clothes and other supplies to ship out to the crisis-hit South American country, which has witnessed whole communities being wiped out as torrential rain caused horrific mudslides.

The charity, based on Centurion Way Industrial Estate, has diverted some of the goods it was due to send out to the Ukraine, in a bid to provide the thousands of refugees in Venezuela with some comfort.

Charity director Bernard Cocker said: "As soon as the full extent of the crisis became known, we began working on what we could send out there, and how we could send it out.

"Whenever there is a disaster, we try to help. During 1999, we sent supplies to more than 16 countries, including the Caribbean, which had been effected by hurricanes."

More than 50,000 people are believed to have been killed by the mudslides, which have engulfed everything in their path, including a 60 mile stretch of the country's coast. Only 1,500 bodies have been recovered, and it is feared the final death toll will never be known. The country's president, Hugo Chavez, has blamed previous administrations for building weak properties on dry river beds. He has pledged to move the homeless to new towns which are going to be built inland.

International Aid is now appealing for more help. Bernard added: "What we have to remember is these people have lost everything, just like that. They effectively had no Christmas and I appeal to everyone to dig deep for goods."

If you can help, call the charity on (01254) 832333.

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