Italy sends boats and humanitarian aid

BELGRADE - Four rescue boats and EUR 200,000 of humanitarian aid for the people in Serbia hit by the floods caused by heavy rains in the region will be sent from Italy, Italian Ambassador to Serbia Giuseppe Manzo has said.

The boats will be flown into Serbia by an airplane of the humanitarian world food programme, while the EUR 200,000 will be deposited to the account of the Red Cross of Serbia, which will then use the funds to purchase the most needed items for the victims, the Italian embassy said in a release.

Italy stands with the Serbian people, especially those in Serbia who suffer today because of the crisis and its consequences, Manzo stated, adding that the Italian government's decision was a confirmation of the great friendship and solidarity that bonded the two countries.

The ambassador and a number of embassy officials delivered the aid bought by donations from the embassy employees to one of the collection centres in Belgrade on Saturday.

Photo Tanjug/J. Pap, illustration