Indonesia quake toll tops five thousand

[Charlie Brown]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/JAK230929.htm

YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia, May 29 (Reuters) - Aid was trickling in on Monday for survivors of an earthquake that killed more than 5,000 people on Indonesia's Java island and left tens of thousands of homeless foraging for food and shelter.

Many survivors who were injured or whose homes were destroyed by the quake spent a rainy Sunday night in the open on the grounds of hospitals and mosques or in makeshift shelters beside the rubble of their houses.

The 6.3 magnitude quake's official death toll reached 5,136. The tremor early on Saturday was centred just off the Indian Ocean coast near Yogyakarta, the former Javanese royal capital.

Government figures put the number of injured at 2,155, but the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said there were 20,000 injured and more than 130,000 homeless, of which 40 percent are children.

Although the aid was arriving slower than some on the ground wished, the international community has rallied to help, pledging tens of millions of dollars and offering medical relief teams, disaster experts and emergency supplies.

[Up2Late]

1. Oh man, that is sad, but just wait until the Volcano erupts...

...it's about to blow, and it's on the same Island. :hide:

<http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-05-13T094421Z_01_JAK109650_RTRUKOC_0_UK-INDONESIA-VOLCANO.xml>

[Tuttle]

2. I saw the US is committing to a whopping 2.5 million

I saw the US is committing to a whopping 2.5 million in relief aid.

WOW!

Isn't that the same amount we spend PER DAY prosecuting the war in Iraq?

Tut-tut

[The Stranger]

3. Yeah, but the GOP would rather let brown Muslims die.

They had it coming because they didn't take on White Jesus.

[Up2Late]

4. The U.S. Government spends $2.5 Million about every 10 Seconds

Check out this link to an on-line version of the National Debt Clock, watch the bottom counter to see how fast $2.5 Million is spent: <http://www.toptips.com/debtclock.html>

[Viva_La_Revolution]

5. Aid begins arriving in Indonesian quake zone

BANTUL, Indonesia - Emergency aid began arriving Monday in areas devastated by a 6.3-magnitude earthquake in Indonesia, but officials said supplies were not being delivered fast enough to victims who begged for help on roads lined with crumpled buildings.

snip>

The government said the quake left an estimated 200,000 people homeless, most of whom now are living in shacks close to their former homes or in shelters erected in rice fields. Hospitals overflowed with bloodied survivors.

The area affected by the quake stretches across hundreds of square miles of mostly farming communities to the south of the ancient city of Yogyakarta.

The quake has intensified activity at the nearby Mount Merapi volcano, which spit out lava and hot clouds Monday, sending debris avalanching 2½ miles down the mountain, said Subandriyo, chief of the Merapi volcanology and monitoring office.

http://www.katu.com/news/story.asp?ID=86278