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200 000 homeless after quake
29/05/2006 15:16 - (SA)
Prambanan - Heavy rain fell in the quake-hit zone of central Indonesia late on Monday, promising more misery for tens of thousands of homeless survivors as they braced for a third night in the open.
Families huddled under rudimentary tents made of plastic sheeting and bamboo poles in the village of Panjarsari Kabondalem, with straw mats the only thing separating them from the increasingly muddy ground.
Villagers called out to check on their neighbours in the darkness, which was only broken by a few flickering candles and the occasional kerosene lamp.
Indonesia has been struggling to cope with the scale of the disaster. Aid slowly began to reach hard-hit areas but President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said better coordination of aid efforts was vital.
International aid agencies and foreign governments delivered tents and tarpaulins to those in need, but the supplies clearly were not sufficient to meet the demands of the population.
The Red Cross estimated that some 200 000 people were made homeless by the quake, which killed more than 5 100 and injured thousands more.
In Geneva, United Nations and Red Cross agencies were gathering to coordinate the international mobilisation to help.
- AFP
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