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12/10/2005
UK pledges £10 million to Asia quake appeal
The British government has pledged an extra £10 million to the emergency appeal to help survivors of the Asian earthquake.
Prime Minister Tony Blair announced the extra funds to the House of Commons on Wednesday. It will take the amount pledged by the UK so far to £12 million.
Aid is continuing to arrive in the worst affected regions in Pakistan and Kashmir, although progress has reportedly been slow. It is believed that many people in remote areas have yet to receive aid, five days after the 7.6 quake struck.
The aid effort was hampered on Tuesday by torrential rains in Pakistan, which prevented planes from landing at the capital, Islamabad. However, flights were resuming on Wednesday, including one plane organised by British charities, containing 19,000 blankets and 800 tents.
Search and rescue teams are continuing the hunt for survivors. A five-year-old girl was rescued from the rubble of her home in Muzzafarabad in Pakistani-controlled Kashmir – the epicentre of the quake – on Wednesday, but such rescues are becoming more infrequent.
According to the Pakistan government, the death toll now stands at around 23,000. In the Indian-controlled area of Kashmir, the death toll is now believed to stand at between 1,300-400. However, both are expected to rise.
The World Health Organisation has warned of the risk of diseases such as measles and cholera spreading in crowded shelters. The United Nations estimated that as many as four million people have been left homeless following the earthquake.
The United Nations has launched an appeal to raise $272 million to fund a six-month emergency operation in the affected regions.
In Britain, the Disasters Emergency Committee – an umbrella group incorporating 13 charities including Oxfam, the British Red Cross and Christian Aid – launched an appeal on Tuesday. It confirmed that £2 million has been raised in public donations for the appeal so far.
Donations to the DEC appeal can be made by phone at: 0870 6060 900 or via the website at: www.dec.org.uk
(KMcA/SP)
Prime Minister Tony Blair announced the extra funds to the House of Commons on Wednesday. It will take the amount pledged by the UK so far to £12 million.
Aid is continuing to arrive in the worst affected regions in Pakistan and Kashmir, although progress has reportedly been slow. It is believed that many people in remote areas have yet to receive aid, five days after the 7.6 quake struck.
The aid effort was hampered on Tuesday by torrential rains in Pakistan, which prevented planes from landing at the capital, Islamabad. However, flights were resuming on Wednesday, including one plane organised by British charities, containing 19,000 blankets and 800 tents.
Search and rescue teams are continuing the hunt for survivors. A five-year-old girl was rescued from the rubble of her home in Muzzafarabad in Pakistani-controlled Kashmir – the epicentre of the quake – on Wednesday, but such rescues are becoming more infrequent.
According to the Pakistan government, the death toll now stands at around 23,000. In the Indian-controlled area of Kashmir, the death toll is now believed to stand at between 1,300-400. However, both are expected to rise.
The World Health Organisation has warned of the risk of diseases such as measles and cholera spreading in crowded shelters. The United Nations estimated that as many as four million people have been left homeless following the earthquake.
The United Nations has launched an appeal to raise $272 million to fund a six-month emergency operation in the affected regions.
In Britain, the Disasters Emergency Committee – an umbrella group incorporating 13 charities including Oxfam, the British Red Cross and Christian Aid – launched an appeal on Tuesday. It confirmed that £2 million has been raised in public donations for the appeal so far.
Donations to the DEC appeal can be made by phone at: 0870 6060 900 or via the website at: www.dec.org.uk
(KMcA/SP)
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