UN dispatches relief effort to Indonesia's quake-stricken West Sumatra

JAKARTA, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations deployed its staff, resources and relief supplies to the earthquake-devastated West Sumatra and coordinating the relief efforts of the international humanitarian community, a local media reported here on Friday.

The UN said in a statement that the UN system in Indonesia deployed a joint mission one day after the 7.6-magnitude earthquake hit West Sumatra to help coordinate a joint rapid assessment conducted by various international organizations to identify immediate emergency needs.

A United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination System (UNDAC) team is also on the ground to help the government in coordinating with international Search and Rescue (SAR) teams.

Emergency funds are also on stand-by to complement the Government's relief efforts.

A UN coordination desk has been set up in the West Sumatra Provincial Command Post (Posko) in the Governor's residence, it added.

"Considering the significant scale of the disaster, the UN in Indonesia remains committed to supporting, as necessary, the Government's efforts to provide assistance to the affected communities", El-Mostafa Benlamlih, the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Indonesia was quoted as saying by the Jakarta Post.

"At this difficult time, the primary thought of the United Nations family lies with those who have lost loved ones in this terrible disaster and our hopes are for the safe rescue of those who remain trapped," he said.

With the arrival of international assistance, coordination between the government and those providing relief efforts is crucial in order to ensure that the assistance is evenly distributed to those most in need, the UN said in the statement.