Governments, charities, and the United Nations rushed emergency aid to south Asia yesterday to help hundreds of thousands of homeless people and join in trying to dig out any survivors from the ruins of the worst earthquake ever to hit Pakistan.
China, a close ally of Pakistan, offered approximately €5 million in aid, the biggest amount according to Pakistani officials. The US, Japan, Thailand, Germany and Australia pledged nearly €727,000.
Pakistan's president, General Pervez Musharraf, appealed to the world for help, saying: "We seek international assistance. We have enough manpower, but we need financial support." The country needed medicine, tents, cargo helicopters and financial assistance to help survivors, he said.
The UN sent an eight-member team to Pakistan to help set up a centre for co-ordinating its emergency response. Ann Veneman, director of the UN children's agency, Unicef, said children made up half the population of the quake-affected areas and would be vulnerable to hunger, cold, illness and trauma.
"Getting immediate life-saving relief into the region will be our priority for the next hours and days," she said. Unicef sent blankets, clothing, tents, medical supplies, food for infants and water purification tablets from a warehouse in Karachi in southern Pakistan.
"We are rushing against the clock here," said a spokeswoman for the UN Office for Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
"The logistical problems will be big. We are going to need more helicopters, for example."
A Chinese emergency response team with 50 members arrived in Islamabad yesterday, bringing search dogs, communications equipment, blankets, medical and relief supplies. A second Chinese planeload of relief goods was due today.
A Japanese disaster team of 50 was also due in Islamabad and Russia planned to send an aircraft carrying emergency workers, trucks, equipment and supplies to last for two weeks. The Malaysian Red Crescent sent a relief team, as did other south-east Asian countries, including Indonesia, the Philippines and Singapore.
The World Bank offered €16.5 million while the European Union earmarked an initial €3.6 million.
Turkey, which has suffered major earthquakes, said it had sent two military aircraft carrying aid, doctors and rescue workers
But the US-led coalition and a Nato-led peacekeeping force in Afghanistan said yesterday they had no plans to send helicopters or other equipment to aid victims in neighbouring Pakistan. The two forces have dozens of heavy-lift helicopters and transport aircraft based in Afghanistan.
President Bush, who counts President Musharraf as a key ally in the US-led war against terrorism, said assistance would be provided as needed.
"My thoughts and prayers are with those affected by this horrible tragedy," he said in a statement, echoing an outpouring of sympathy from across the world. - (Guardian Service)