“We are in contact with the Secretariat of State for Portuguese Communities, collecting the information that is being made available”, guaranteed Rui Abreu, regional director for Communities and External Cooperation.
To Jornal Madeira, the government official added that until yesterday afternoon “there was no contact requesting support”. However, Rui Abreu knows that eight Portuguese are identified in some of the municipalities in the area surrounding the volcano.
“We don’t know their place of birth”, he emphasizes, thus not being able to specify whether they may be natural citizens of Madeira.
“So far, we are not aware of any Madeirans at risk”, concluded the regional director during yesterday afternoon.
The Regional Directorate for Communities and External Cooperation continues to monitor the evolution of the situation. A few moments ago, an appeal was published on the official Facebook page for those who have family or friends in La Palma who are in need of support, to inform the Portuguese authorities.
There are two options available:
The Consular Emergency Office, through the numbers +351 217 929 714 or +351 961 706 472, or the Honorary Consul of Portugal in Tenerife, through the email tenerife@consuladoportugal.es or the telephone +(34) ) 665 893 825.