UK Relief Teams Hunt for Asia Quake Survivors

Three days after the South Asia earthquake rocked Pakistan and nearby countries, British rescue workers are continuing to hunt for survivors. Search teams are working in the capital city of Islamabad and rural Kashmir.

|PIC1|An umbrella group of 13 UK charities is considering whether to launch a joint appeal for donations.

The British government has pledged nearly £1m towards the relief efforts so far.

BBC quoted International Development Secretary Hilary Benn: "And as we respond to the requests for help then the sum that we commit will rise," said.

He said the government is also providing the region with tents and blankets and practical help on the ground. "These are some very remote regions where transport is difficult and we are all working flat-out to try and get help to people who need it."

The transportation of any supplies from the UK or anywhere else that needs to be sent by the charities will be funded by the government.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has sent a message to church leaders in Pakistan and India, saying "our thoughts are very much with you".

Oxfam has sent engineers to help with the sanitation effort. BBC reported that a spokesman for Oxfam said that their people were already on the ground. "Another rescue team is arriving in Abbottabad in Pakistan today, and we're sending public health and water engineers," the spokesman said.

|TOP|"Some will be going to Kashmir, but others will be staying in Islamabad to co-ordinate the international effort for water and sanitation."

Mark Lyall Grant, the British High Commissioner in Islamabad, said the British relief effort was one of the largest with 29 search-and-rescue people on the ground in Islamabad and 40 in Muzaffarabad.

The government has pledged funds, including medics, staff and aid workers. Two flights so far have left the UK.

However, the Muslim Association of Britain has criticised the British government’s aid supply as “measly”, saying that the quake disaster compared with the tsunami last year requires an equal response “in terms of momentum and size” .

The British Red Cross, Oxfam, Unicef, Islamic Relief and Muslim Aid, with Oxfam have already launched Charity appeals. Oxfam reportedly generated £50,000 in the first hour of their appeal.

Oxfam aims to help 300,000 people, estimating to spend £4m on its relief effort efforts.