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UN sends supplies to Indonesian quake victims

Posted on: Saturday, 27 May 2006, 20:34 CDT

By Evelyn Leopold

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations is sending aid to victims of the Indonesia earthquake, including medical goods, tents and water supply equipment, U.N. officials said on Saturday.

The 6.2 magnitude quake struck at dawn on Saturday when many were still in bed, killing an estimated 3,000 people. It was the third major temblor to hit Indonesia in 18 months, the worst being the quake on December 26, 2004, and the resulting tsunami that left some 170,000 people dead or missing.

UNICEF, the U.N. Children's Fund, said it had sent staff to the earthquake area and was sending thousands of tents, tarpaulins and lanterns, as well as water supply equipment.

More goods will follow, including medical supplies for the injured, said Ann Veneman, the agency's executive director.

"So often in natural disasters children and the elderly suffer disproportionately because they are least able to react quickly," she said.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said he was "deeply saddened by the loss of life, the hundreds of injuries and destruction suffered by the people of Indonesia." He also offered to mobilize an international response if required.

Jan Egeland, the U.N. undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs, said aircraft were on standby in Indonesia's Aceh province and other areas, and a disaster relief adviser was in Yogyakarta conferring with authorities.

Yogyakarta is in the heartland of Indonesia's main island of Java near Mount Merapi, a volcano that has been on high alert for a major eruption this month.

"The earthquake struck so early in the morning it found most people still inside their homes. We are very concerned that this may result in increasing numbers of casualties and injured people," Egeland said.

The most affected districts are Bantul and Kulonprogo to the south of Yogyakarta. In Bantul, Egeland said, 70 percent to 80 percent of the houses have completely collapsed, as have various large buildings, including the public hospital.

He said the Yogyakarta international airport was also damaged, and flights are being redirected to Surakarta or Semarang.

Source: REUTERS

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