Asia-Pacific News

Red Cross launches 20-million-franc appeal for China quake victims

May 15, 2008, 19:47 GMT

Geneva - The Red Cross and Red Crescent societies launched an emergency appeal in Geneva Thursday for 20 million Swiss francs (19.3 million US dollars) to support 100,000 survivors of the devastating earthquake in China's Sichuan province over the next 12 months. The appeal from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFCR) is to fund the Chinese Red Cross in the region which has already deployed five medical teams to provide emergency assistance to thousands of earthquake victims. The Red Cross has dispatched two emergency relief teams to two of the worst affected areas to distribute aid and set up tents for people who have lost their homes. Local volunteers have already distributed about 650,000 francs (616,268 dollars) worth of tents, quilts and food, according to IFRC. The operation will concentrate first on emergency relief, providing shelter, food and water purification tablets and then on building 1,000 new homes. 'Immediate relief is vital but at the same time we need to begin looking beyond this critical phase and towards helping people get back on their feet,' said Dr Thomas Gurtner, IFRC director of programmes and coordination in Geneva. The earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale struck the south-western province of Sichuan on Monday. It was the worst quake to hit China in 30 years killing an estimated 50,000 people.