US$100,000 WORTH OF AID FROM US EMBASSY FOR QUAKE VICTIMS

Jakarta, Sept 4 (ANTARA) - The United States embassy in Jakarta said it would extend assistance worth US$100,000 for victims of the earthquake that occurred in Tasikmalaya, West Java province, on September 2, 2009.

The embassy would act quickly to provide immediate assistance which can be used for the early and critical stages as help in the reconstruction after the disaster, the embassy said in a press statement here on Friday.

The assistance will be used to handle the huge damage and casualties caused by the earthquake that hit the coast of Java island, the statement said.

Media reports said that the death toll of Wednesday's 7.3 magnitude earthquake in Tasikmalaya, Cianjur, Bandung, Sukabumi, Ciamis, Garut, and Bogor in West Java reached 63 people, 439 others sustained injuries and the number of victims might increase.

In addition, government officials reported that the tremor had left some 2,017 houses damaged.

(Tz.B003/A/HAJM/C/S012)