IMF raises funds to aid quake-tsunami survivors in Indonesia

The International Monetary Fund (IMF)’s staff have raised a total of 2 billion Rupiah (around 131,000 USD) to assist survivors of earthquakes and subsequent tsunami in Indonesia’s Central Sulawesi province as well as quake-affected people in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara province.
IMF raises funds to aid quake-tsunami survivors in Indonesia ảnh 1The ruinous scene in Palu, Central Sulawesi of Indonesia after the disasters (Source: Xinhua/VNA) 
Jakarta (VNA) – The InternationalMonetary Fund (IMF)’s staff have raised a total of 2 billion Rupiah (around131,000 USD) to assist survivors of earthquakes and subsequent tsunami inIndonesia’s Central Sulawesi province as well as quake-affected people in Lombok,West Nusa Tenggara province.

IMF Managing Director Christine Lagardesaid the IMF will directly transfer the money to the Indonesian Red Cross andother non-governmental organisations such as the World Central Kitchen andWorld Vision.

Finance and monetary institutions ofIndonesia have also launched campaigns to raise funds in support of victims inthe recent natural disasters. The Bank Indonesia – the country’s central bank –collected 500 million Rupiah for affected people.

BI Governor Perry Warjiyo said the sumwill be used to repair five Islamic churches and two schools in Lombok whichwere severely damaged by quakes in August.

The Coordinating Ministry of MaritimeAffairs also raised 500 million Rupiah for victims in Lombok. In addition, theministry donated 241,000 sets of clothes for local primary students.

CentralSulawesi was ravaged by two devastating quakes measuring 6.1 and 7.5 on theRichter scale on September 28. The second was followed by giant tsunami waveson the afternoon of the same day, destroying thousands of houses and roads.

As of October 7 evening, the death toll climbed to 1,944,while more than 2,500 people are receiving treatment at hospitals and over62,300 are forced to be evacuated.

Official sources said 683 remained missing and 152 others arebelieved to be still buried under ruins. 

A series of earthquakes in July and August also killed nearly500 people on the holiday island of Lombok, hundreds of kilometres southwest ofSulawesi.

Indonesiais frequently struck by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis because ofits location on the "Ring of Fire", an arc of volcanoes and faultlines in the Pacific Basin.-VNA
VNA

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