Dutch king to visit hurricane-hit Sint Maarten
THE HAGUE: Dutch King WillemAlexander will visit the devastated Caribbean island of Sint Maarten yesterday to view the aid operation for tens of thousands left stricken by Hurricane Irma, Dutch media reported.
“I am here to find out what has happened and how the coordination effort is going,” the king told reporters after arriving in the nearby island of Curacao late Sunday.
Accompanied by Interior Minister Ronald Plasterk, the king toured in Curacao the aid coordination centre and visited patients who were airlifted to hospital from Sint Maarten after Hurricane Irma downed power lines, cutting electricity and communications to the island.
“The only message I have at the moment, is that we know what you have gone through and we are doing our best to help everyone who is in need,” Willem-Alexander added.
Yesterday, besides Sint Maarten the 50-year-old king will also visit the Dutch territories of St Eustatius and Saba, the Dutch news agency ANP reported.— AFP