Aid begins to flow after Indonesian earthquake

Survivors of the Indonesian earthquake are lined up in the open air outside the main hospital building in Yogyakarta as facilities are stretched to the limit.

The death toll from the disaster is around 5,000, making it one of the worst tragedies in the country’s history. International aid is said to be flowing in slowly. Millions of euros have beenpromised, but an official from the regional goverment said that key items like tents and clean drinking water were in short supply. The search for survivors of Saturday’s tremor continues, although hope of finding anyone alive in the rubble has faded. An estimatd 35,000 homes and buildings were destroyed by the quake, which measured 6.2 on the Richter scale. “I haven’t worked since the quake. I don’t know how we could ever rebuild our homes without any help from the government,” said one man. “I wish we had more food and better tents. There’s a lot more to be done for us, we deserately need help,” pleaded another survivor. UN humanitarian agencies are meeting in Geneva to discuss a coordinated response to the crisis, while the Red Cross has launched an appeal for 7.7 million euros in aid. Jakarta has declared a three month state of emergency. The government estimates relief and rebuilding will cost 83 million euros.

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