WASHINGTON, April 17, 2016 ¡ª World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim issued the following statement in the aftermath of the separate earthquakes in recent days in Ecuador and Japan:
"We express our sympathy and solidarity with the people of Ecuador, following the powerful earthquake that struck the country on Saturday, killing more than 200 people and injuring hundreds more. ľ¹ÏÓ°Ôº stands ready to support Ecuadorians in the recovery. We have been in close contact with authorities since Saturday night to coordinate our support expeditiously. An impact assessment team will arrive in Ecuador on Monday.
We also express our sympathy and solidarity with the people of Kumamoto Prefecture in Japan, following two earthquakes that struck over the past several days, killing more than 40 people and injuring many more. We stand ready to assist Japanese authorities in any way.
Our thoughts go to the families in both countries who lost loved ones in the separate earthquakes."