YAHOO!news, Science - AFP, Tue Dec 28, 7:13 PM ET
GENEVA (AFP) - The world's biggest-ever aid operation got into gear to help Asian countries stricken by tsunamis that smashed coastal towns leaving misery and the risk of disease in their wake.
The unprecedented effort involved neighbouring Asian states, Europeans, the United States and international organisations.
Doctors and relief workers faced vast devastation, with the latest death tolls across the region totalling more than 55,000 late Tuesday.
In Geneva, a senior United Nations (news - web sites) official said the world body was on the brink of launching its largest-ever appeal.
Yvette Stevens, UN Assistant Emergency Relief aid coordinator, said the international aid needed for the areas around the Indian Ocean was likely to exceed the previous record UN appeal of 1.6 billion dollars for Iraq (news - web sites) last year.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies appealed for 44 million dollars in immediate aid.
"We face a huge challenge due to the vast area affected," Markku Niskala, secretary general of the organisation, said in Geneva, adding: "We haven't even seen the tip of the iceberg yet."
The UNHCR said the situation was "so enormous and shocking" that it had opened stockpiles of shelters, matting, clothing and cooking materials in Sri Lanka, where nearly 18,000 were killed and 200,000 were homeless.
"Our supplies are usually for displaced people, but this is an emergency and the local population needs help right now," UN High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers said in Geneva.
Aid planes from China, Denmark, France, India and Russia delivered humanitarian relief and medical staff to the island state.
The United States pledged another 20 million dollars in aid, more than doubling its contribution while rebuffing a suggestion it was being "stingy."
The new assistance brought the total US commitment to 35 million dollars.
Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) bristled at comments by UN disaster relief coordinator Jan Egeland, who had spoken of "stingy" rich nations relucant to commit taxpayer dollars to relief. Egeland said Tuesday his remarks were misinterpreted.
Three Gulf states announced they were sending a total of 22 million dollars in aid.
Qatar is sending 10 million dollars, as is Saudi Arabia, officials in the two countries said.
Kuwait's Red Crescent Society on Monday launched a fundraising campaign after the government said it was sending one million dollars to help the victims before increasing the figure to two million dollars on Tuesday.
In addition, authorities in the United Arab Emirates have directed the country's Red Crescent Society to send emergency aid to the disaster-hit areas, and Etihad Airways, based in Abu Dhabi, said it would make cargo space available on all its flights to Asia over the next week for the society's use.
In India, the local Red Cross appealed for food, clothes and kitchen utensils, while the government authorised immediate spending worth 114 million dollars.
Aid workers warned of a health crisis as Indian camps became overcrowded with people in need of food, water and shelter and diarrhoeal disease started to spread.
A UNICEF (news - web sites) official inspecting the situation in southern India said: "Getting clean water to people in the camps is critical at this point to head off the spread of disease."
Other countries struggling with smashed infrastructure and desperate populations were Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Indonesia said its death toll was more than 27,000 -- the worst of any of the countries hit.
The UN's Jan Egeland said relief operations would be the biggest in history.
"There are thousands of dead people, and there are tens of thousands of dead animals. The people should be buried and the animals should be destroyed and disposed of before they infect the drinking water. It's a massive operation," he said.
Asian countries that escaped the tsunami disaster were quick with help. Japan provided 40 million dollars for emergency food, medicine and shelter while Singapore and the Philippines dispatched medical teams to Thailand and Indonesia.
China provided 2.6 million dollars in aid for India, Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
The Asian Development Bank said it had offered immediate assistance to several of the countries ravaged. ADB president Tadao Chino said: "What is clear is that this is a massive tragedy that has exacted a terrible human cost."
A Hong Kong telephone tycoon, Li Ka-shing, pledged three million US dollars.
Two Australian aircraft loaded with aid and medical teams arrived in Indonesia, with another two scheduled to follow Wednesday.
French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier was on one of four aid flights from Paris to Sri Lanka and Thailand with relief supplies, medical teams and rescue specialists.
Germany pledged three million euros (4.1 million dollars.) Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said his ministry would double aid initially earmarked for the afflicted areas to two million euros, while Overseas Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul promised an additional one million euros.
Fischer said medical teams would go to the Khao Lak area of Thailand north of the resort island Phuket, following forensic identification specialists dispatched Monday.
A plane from Britain carrying tents and plastic sheets was additionally headed for Colombo.
Another three flew from Belgium to Sri Lanka and Indonesia.
Those and other European countries contributed to an EU pledge of emergency aid. The bloc has already released three million euros and on Tuesday announced it would bring further aid to 50 million euros.
Canada pledged additional funds, bringing its total assistance to 3.2 million US dollars.
Argentina announced it would send water filtration tablets to disaster areas and was sending a relief aid team.
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