Aer Lingus has joined the effort to help earthquake survivors in Haiti as Irish aid continues to arrive in that country.
The carrier will fly an A330 aircraft directly from Dublin to La Romana airport in the Dominican Republic tomorrow afternoon with much needed aid supplies.
The aircraft will deliver more than 25 tonnes of emergency medical equipment and food to earthquake survivors on the island in conjunction with Irish aid agency Goal, which will then transport the relief into Haiti from the Dominican Republic.
The flight will also carry 15 doctors and volunteers, who will travel to Haiti to assist relief efforts following the recent devastating earthquake.
The aircraft will leave Dublin airport at 1pm tomorrow, arriving in the Dominican Republic at 7pm local time on the same day.
It will be on the ground for two hours to unload before returning to Dublin via Orlando.
The Government’s special consignment of more than 80 tonnes of emergency humanitarian supplies for Haiti’s earthquake victims has arrived in the country.
Supplies of blankets, plastic sheeting for temporary shelter, water tanks, tents, mattresses and kitchen sets are being distributed by Irish aid agencies Concern and Goal to thousands of families displaced by the earthquake.
Aid agency Goal today said it will carry out a second distribution of aid in Port-au-Prince today following a successful delivery of supplies to the survivors of the earthquake in the capital.
“Yesterday Goal organised a distribution of aid, the first delivery by an international NGO in Haiti,” said Goal CEO, John O’Shea. “Goal provided food and water, and non-food items such as blankets, sleeping mats, cooking equipment and hygiene sets to 1,000 people in the Turgeau region of the capital.
“Sixteen trucks ferrying Irish Aid have also arrived into Port-au-Prince and these supplies will be used by Goal as part of their aid distributions in the coming days,” he said.
Elsewhere, the dean of Belfast, Dr Houston McKelvey, today presented a cheque for £50,000 to Christian Aid-Ireland for relief work in Haiti.
Dean McKelvey said: "The cheque represents the first payment from the donations placed in "The Barrel for Haiti" since Thursday of last week. Once again the people of this community have shown their generous nature, and I thank them most sincerely."