Aid: Aid agencies said last night that the earthquake on Java had destroyed up to 90 per cent of homes in the region closest to the epicentre.
Aid agency personnel also said that large numbers of people in the city of Yogyakarta were last night sleeping in the open because of fears of further tremors and aftershocks. Paulette Song of Oxfam in Yogyakarta said whole families were sleeping on benches wrapped in blankets or under tarpaulins.
Ms Song said Yogyakarta, which has a population of over 800,000, was relatively calm. She said the devastation was much more evident to the south and southwest of the city.
"As you drive towards Bantul, the worst affected region, around 15 kilometres from Yogyakarta, you can see the fault lines in the concrete and the cracks on the road. It is estimated that between 85 and 90 per cent of shelter in this area has been destroyed."
She said the priority for Oxfam was to provide clean water, shelter and food. Medical supplies were also badly needed in some areas.
David MacDonald, Oxfam's country programme manager for Indonesia, said that the aid agency had had access to some stocks of equipment which had been stored locally as part of contingency planning to deal with a possible eruption of the Merapi volcano.
Red Cross spokesman in Indonesia Howard Arfin said last night that there was difficulty in assessing the degree of homelessness because of the number of people on the streets who were fearful of going back indoors.
He said the Red Cross was seeking to provide tents to house 55,000 people and that there were also plans to establish a field hospital and field kitchens.
The relief effort has been hampered by damage caused to roads.
The Irish Red Cross yesterday issued an appeal for support for its relief effort in Indonesia.
It said that, internationally, the Red Cross estimated that just under €8 million was needed to help victims. Donations to the Asia Earthquake Appeal could be made by calling 1850 50 70 70 or by logging on to www.redcross.ie.
Minister of State Conor Lenihan announced on Saturday that the Government was making an initial contribution of €500,000 to the International Federation for the Red Cross and Red Crescent. He said further assistance would be provided if required.
