Government pledges €1 million to Earthquake relief in Pakistan

The Government has made an initial pledge of up to €1 million to assist with immediate relief efforts in the aftermath of the earthquake which has hit northern Pakistan and the adjacent region. The earthquake measuring approximately 7.6 on the Richter scale has caused many casualties.

Announcing the pledge Minister of State for Development Cooperation and Human Rights, Mr Conor Lenihan TD stated:

“The earthquake which struck Northern Pakistan today appears to have had  devastating consequences. Details in relation to casualty figures are still emerging, but initial estimates are approximately 1000 people have lost their lives. Lives have also been lost in India and Afghanistan. Many people will have been left homeless and many others may still be missing and trapped in collapsed buildings.

The initial needs will be for food, shelter and other basic requirements. Our funding will be available for the Red Cross and Red Crescent family which is very experienced and is present on the ground through its local networks. Funding will also be provided if necessary for coordination of the humanitarian effort through the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) and for other needs as they become clearer. We will continue to closely monitor the ongoing situation in order to ensure that our assistance can be effectively targeted."