JCB donate backhoe loader to quake-hit Ecuador

Company sending versatile 3CX machine to help with rescue and clear-up operations

JCB are donating a 3CX backhoe loader worth US$100,000 to help rescue and clear-up operations in Ecuador, which was hit by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake last Saturday, resulting in the death of at least 570 people and injuries to more than 7,000 others.

It has been reported that 25,000 people remain in shelters as a consequence of the devastating earthquake that has been described by the country’s President, Rafael Correa, as the biggest tragedy in Ecuador in seven decades.

JCB are supplying the versatile digger to the Provincial Council of Manabi through its Ecuadorian dealer Automekano. The machine will be put to work shortly in the province’s Pedernales Canton, where more than 90% of homes have been destroyed by the earthquake.

Santiago Vasconez, managing director of Automekano, said: ‘Padernales was very close to the epicentre. Many people are feared to have lost their lives and many thousands have been left homeless by the destruction. There is a desperate need for equipment to help relief efforts.’

JCB chairman Lord Bamford said: ‘This was a very powerful earthquake with catastrophic consequences. I hope our donation can play a small part in the clear-up and rebuilding work that needs to be done in Manabi to help those people whose lives have been turned upside down.’

JCB have a history of helping countries affected by major natural disasters and have in recent years made equipment available to support relief and rebuilding efforts after earthquakes in Nepal, Indonesia, Chile, Pakistan and Haiti, and in the Philippines in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan.