Govt pledges €1m for earthquake aid

The Government has pledged €1m in aid to Pakistan and surrounding regions which were hit by today’s earthquake.

Early estimates say more than 1,000 people could have died in the quake, which measured 7.6 on the Richter scale.

Announcing the aid, Junior Foreign Affairs Minister Conor Lenihan said: “Many people will have been left homeless and many others may still be missing and trapped in collapsed buildings.

“The initial needs will be for food, shelter and other basic requirements.”

Mr Lenihan, who has ministerial responsibility for development co-operation and human rights, said the Government’s funding will be earmarked for the Red Cross and Red Crescent aid agencies.

He explained that more funding could also be provided for coordination of the humanitarian effort through the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Unocha).

“We will continue to closely monitor the ongoing situation in order to ensure that our assistance can be effectively targeted,” he said.