EARTHQUAKE: SUSILO SEEKS HELPS FROM MALAYSIA, NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES

JAKARTA, Oct 1 (Bernama) - Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
welcomes Malaysia and other countries to help provide emergency aid to victims
of the 7.6 magnitude earthquake which hit the western Sumatra province
Wednesday.

He hoped that in the spirit of Asean cooperation, the neighbouring countries
could provide immediate aid to areas affected by the disaster.

He said this on arrival at the Halim Perdanakusumah Airport here on his
return from a working visit to the United States of America and meeting with his
cabinet ministers.

A report by detikcom quoted Susilo as saying that Indonesia appreciated the
offer of assistance from neighbouring countries.

He said when an earthquake of 7.2 on the Richter scale hit West Java last
month, the Indonesia government rejected foreign assistance because the incident
was not serious.

Meanwhile, National Defence Forces (TNI) Chief Gen Joko Santoso said
several countries had offered to send their soldiers to help find victims still
trapped in the rubble.

The armed forces in Malaysia, Australia, Singapore and America had offered
assistance for evacuation process, he added.

Meanwhile, the death toll in the earthquake has yet to be ascertained with
reports giving the figures at 215 to almost 500 people as at noon Thursday while
the search and rescue mission is still in progress.

The Indonesian government, however, estimated the death toll to be in
thousands as many of the victims were still trapped under the rubble of more
than 1,000 buildings, including hotels and houses, which were damaged in the
incident.

As at noon Thursday, the local authority estimated more than 100 people to
be still trapped in Hotel Ambacang, when the building collapsed, and more than
60 students, in a three-storey building which housed their tuition classes.

Information released by the disaster centre at the west Sumatra governor's
office confirmed 215 people were killed in three locations worst hit by the
quake -- Kota Padang (139), Padang Pariaman (62) and Kota Pariaman (14).
Thursday morning, several tremors of between 5.1 and 7.0 on the Richter
scale in several location in Sumatra.

The Indonesian authority has declared an emergency in the western Sumatra
province and various assistance, include medicine, food and beverages, had been
sent to the area.
-- BERNAMA