As Irish aid agencies rush to offer assistance to the victims of the Indian earthquake, the Government has announced emergency assistance of £1 million for the affected region.
No Irish agency has a permanent presence in the earthquake zone in Gujarat province, but Concern and Goal sent emergency teams to the area over the weekend.
The two agencies have allocated £50,000 each to the disaster, and are appealing for more funds from the public.
The Department of Foreign Affairs is releasing £250,000 of its aid immediately to the International Federation of the Red Cross, which is co-ordinating the response to the emergency together with the Indian authorities.
The remaining funds will be made available later as a clearer picture of the needs emerges.
The Minister of State at the Department, Ms Liz O'Donnell, has been in touch with the Irish Embassy in Delhi, which is monitoring the situation closely.
She said: "The toll of death, injury and destruction is rising by the hour, and it is especially important to provide rapid support for the Indian authorities, international agencies and organisations already active and operational on the ground.
"Co-ordination of the relief efforts will be a key element in maximising their effectiveness in the light of the scale and impact of the disaster."
Goal has committed £50,000 from its disaster relief fund and has extended its earthquake appeal for El Salvador to include India.
A Goal medical team arrived on Saturday in the city of Ahmedabad. It has begun assessing casualties and local relief efforts in alleviating the suffering of survivors.
From there, the team travelled to Bhuj, the epicentre of Friday's earthquake, where over 6,000 casualties have been reported.
Concern's emergency response team, which also arrived in Ahmedabad on Saturday, has sourced 10,000 heavy cotton blankets, which will be delivered tomorrow.
"Because of the fear of aftershocks, many people have spent the last two nights on the pavements in bitterly cold temperatures," said the agency's chief executive.
Mr David Begg, who plans to travel to India today, said rescue efforts were being hampered by a lack of clearing equipment, though life-saving detectors were expected to arrive from Bombay soon.
Concern earthquake appeal: tel 1850 410510
Goal appeal: tel 01-2809779/ 1850 620630 or PO Box 19, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin
India has sought a $1.5 billion (£1.3 billion) loan from the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank to help it recover from its worst earthquake in five decades, the Finance Minister, Mr Yashwant Sinha, said in New Delhi yesterday.
Meanwhile the state of Gujarat issued an international appeal for food, medicines, experts and equipment which can detect life under rubble.
--(AFP, Reuters)
