Aid effort rethink as Asian quake toll mounts

The Government is expected to increase its aid for yesterday’s earthquake in Pakistan as the death toll mounts.

Junior Foreign Affairs Minister Conor Lenihan yesterday pledged €1m when the number of casualties was estimated at 1,000.

However Pakistani government officials said today that the 7.6 magnitude quake centred near Kashmir, had killed 19,400 people in Pakistan alone.

“Yesterday’s pledge was an initial allocation and Irish Government officials are continuously assessing the situation with the countries affected,” a Foreign Affairs Department spokesman said.

There are believed to be no Irish citizens at risk in the affected regions of Pakistan, Afghanistan and northern India.

“We don’t have any concerns. We are checking out a number of people but we’re not unduly worried,” he spokesman added.

The Irish funding is being sent to help the relief work of the Red Cross and Red Crescent aid agencies.

“Mr Lenihan indicated that more money could be given to the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Unocha) to help its humanitarian efforts.

The Irish Concern aid agency, which has 60 staff in Pakistan, is working closely on the ground with the UN and other NGOs.

Overseas director Paul O’Brien said: “This is very difficult terrain and communications are also difficult because of the damage caused.

“But we have a lot of experience in Pakistan and are moving quickly to bring relief and help build capacity in the areas affected.”

Concern’s country director in Pakistan, Dorothy Blaine ran outside her home when the earthquake struck at 8.50am yesterday morning.

“Rural villages have been completely destroyed and that is where the relief efforts will be needed most,” she said.

“Saturday is a school day here, so sadly there have been several reports of school children being killed when school buildings or walls fell down.”

A Concern assessment team had been planning to travel to the one of the worst-affected regions, Azad Jammu and Kashmir but was warned of further aftershocks by the Meterologican Authority.