Government News Index
Downer pledges $1m quake aid
AAP
27mar02
THE Australian Government will provide $1 million in emergency assistance to Afghanistan following earthquakes north of Kabul, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer has said.
Mr Downer said Australia would give $500,000 each to the International Committee of the Red Cross and the World Food Program.
"I understand that this was quite a severe earthquake, it registered six on the Richter scale and apparently around 2,000 people have been killed," Mr Downer said in Adelaide today.
"Our information is there are 30,000 people who have been left homeless in Afghanistan as a result of this earthquake."
Mr Downer said the money was in addition to $40.3 million previously allocated by Australia to Afghanistan for recovery and reconstruction following the battle to oust the Taliban militia.