JCB Donates 3CX Backhoe Loader to Help Earthquake Victims In Ecuador

JCB is donating a 3CX backhoe loader worth $100,000 to help rescue and clean-up operations in Ecuador, which was hit by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake last week, resulting in the deaths of more than 580 people and injuries to more than 8,000 people. More than 25,000 people remain in shelters, according to reports, as a result of the devastating earthquake that Ecuador’s president Rafael Correa said was the biggest tragedy in the country in seven decades.

JCB is supplying the versatile backhoe to the Provincial Council of Manabi through its Ecuadorian dealer, Automekano. The machine is being put to work in Pedernales Canton, where more than 90 percent of the homes have been destroyed by the earthquake.

“Padernales was very close to the epicenter,” said Santiago Vasconez, managing director of Automekano. “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.”

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

JCB has 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.