The Caritas Malta Emergency Commission said today that it had raised €54,868 in aid of the victims of the earthquake which struck the Aquila region in Italy last April.

The money is being sent to Caritas Italiana which, with Caritas in the Diocese of Aquila, is embarking on a construction project aimed at assisting vulnerable people get a new start in life.

Mgr Victor Grech, Director of Caritas Malta, thanked contributors to the fund including the parishes, persons who made transfers to the appropriate bank accounts, and those who called personally at Caritas offices to make donations.

He said that once again, the people of Malta had shown their generosity, this time to a neighbouring community devastated by a natural disaster Such generosity was a distinguishing characteristic of the Maltese people, and it came to the fore when the occasion arose, both locally and on the international scene.