According to a press release from the Danish Foreign Ministry, Denmark will provide additional relief to victims of the earthquakes that hit Sumatra in Indonesia.
Danida has granted an additional 10 million DKK in support for victims.
At first Danida gave the Danish Red Cross around 4 million DKK to the massive reconstruction work, the humanitarian organization wrote in a press release Tuesday. The 4 million DKK would go to helping the many affected people build temporary houses. Aid would be given in the form of tools and corrugated iron.
– Some live with families outside the affected areas, others with neighbours who still have a house. And many people live in the ruins of the collapsed houses. We are still trying to get an overview of the extent of damage but it is difficult, because the affected area is about the size of Jutland, said Danish Red Cross man in Indonesia Peder Damm at the beginning of this week.
It is estimated that it will take some days before officials can give a credible figure for the number of deaths after the two earthquakes in western Sumatra. Right now the assessment is between 3.000 to 5.000 fatalities, but these figures are a subject of great uncertainty and it is feared that the death toll could be even higher.
The combination of earthquakes and high rainfall contributes to landslides in the municipalities along the earthquake zone in Sumatra. It is difficult to get through and make the necessary further assessment of the situation, however the situation is assessed as being very serious.
Between a half million and one million are possibly without shelter, and many villages have completely disappeared as a result of earthquakes, writes U-landsnyt.dk.
