Australian troops assist relief operation in Indonesia

CANBERRA, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- Australian troops on Tuesday began the operation of a water purification plant in the worst hit city of Padang following the Indonesian earthquake.

Chief of Australian Defense Force (ADF) joint operations Lieutenant General Mark Evans said more than 500 ADF personnel were now assisting with the relief operation with 200 on the ground in Indonesia.

"We are looking at the operation lasting between a month to six weeks," he told reporters.

Evans said relief efforts were now moving from rescue of survivors to recovery and reconstruction operations, with the Indonesian government placing top priority on restoration of power and water.

"We are continually assessing where else we can assist the Indonesian authorities and we are looking to deploy an engineering capability to Indonesia later this week," he said.

"Ensuring clean water is available is a key issue for the population in the Padang area. Defense has mobilized a water purification plant that can produce up to 200,000 liters per day of clean water."

The official death toll from the Indonesian government stands at about 650 but the United Nations indicates the number is closer to 1,100 and other estimates go as high as 5,000.