Rescue experts, medical teams, sniffer dogs and supplies were being mobilised on Sunday as a worldwide effort cranked into gear to bring aid to victims of a massive earthquake that struck South Asia.
Japan, the United States and the European Union were among the first to offer manpower and financial aid to Pakistan, India and Afghanistan following Saturday’s quake, which is believed to have killed more than 19 000 people.
Pakistan was worst hit and President Pervez Musharraf called for international assistance.
”Right now, we are facing the biggest tragedy of our history. I am sure that the entire nation will face it steadfastly,” he said ahead of a planned visit to the quake-hit region.
The Japanese foreign ministry said Tokyo has sent a 50-strong emergency relief team to the Islamic republic.
In Britain, which has a large South Asian community, the government said it was sending an initial allocation of £100 000 to Pakistani authorities.
Search and rescue teams from four firefighting forces across Britain were also headed to the region and Defence Secretary John Reid said British troops in Afghanistan were ”ready to assist, if required”.
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said the dispatch of up to 60 staff is an initial offering. British Muslim charities have also pledged hundreds of thousands of pounds in aid.
Additional search-and-rescue teams were also being sent from France, Turkey — which itself is prone to violent earthquakes — Greece and Switzerland.
The Japanese team includes police as well as disaster-management and coast-guard specialists whose skills have been honed dealing with the country’s regular temblors.
They will be engaged in search-and-rescue operations as well as information gathering, the ministry said in a statement.
The Japanese Red Cross was also sending four medical specialists to Islamabad as an advance team to investigate the extent of the damage caused by the quake, which measured 7,6 on the Richter scale.
Financial aid
Shortly after news of the tragedy began filtering out of the region, European ministers offered financial aid as well as rescue teams.
The European Union’s executive arm said it has set aside €3-million of immediate emergency relief aid.
”We are all hoping that the news does not get steadily worse … but we are fearful that the casualty figures may mount,” said EU aid commissioner Louis Michel.
The World Bank has offered $20-million to Pakistan to help deal with the ”enormous scale” of tragedy unleashed by the South Asia earthquake, its chief, Paul Wolfowitz, said.
”This kind of situation calls forth a great deal of generosity from a great many donors,” he told reporters in Tokyo, Japan, on the first stop of a tour of Asia, calling on those giving funds to strive to coordinate aid efforts.
”Donors should recognise that this is not a case where you want to put your name on a flagship project. It’s a case where you want to coordinate your efforts most effectively with those of other donors. It’s the country itself, in this case Pakistan, which should take the lead.”
Paris was sending sniffer dogs and cutting gear, while the Irish government said it would provide €1-million to the relief effort.
Berlin said it has made €50 000 available to Pakistani authorities through its embassy in Islamabad.
The US was swift to offer help and President George Bush said Washington was mobilising teams of experts to help the rescue effort. He has also made available $100 000 in immediate emergency aid.
”Our initial deployments of assistance are under way, and we stand ready to provide additional assistance as needed. My thoughts and prayers are with those affected by this horrible tragedy,” the US leader said.
Further help was offered from Australia, which said it has provided $380 000 for immediate medical and relief assistance, and from Abu Dhabi, which has sent a team of police officers.
Chinese state media said Beijing has sent a 49-man rescue team, along with search dogs and 17 tonnes of equipment.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) was at the forefront of the UN’s effort, sending aid supply trucks from the southern city of Karachi towards Pakistan’s quake-hit northern areas and deploying an assessment team to decide what further help was needed.
David Bull, executive director of Unicef in Britain, said food, blankets, tents, medicines and water-purification tablets were being delivered. — AFP
