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Indonesia quake: UN, EU express condolences
Kofi Annan said the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) teams have been alerted to lend their assistance.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Saturday expressed his deep condolences to Indonesia following the devastating earthquake in the island of Java that killed more than 2,900 people.
"The Secretary-General is deeply saddened by the loss of life, the hundreds of injuries and the destruction suffered by the people of Indonesia after the earthquake that struck Yogyakarta on the southern coast of Java.
"He extends his deepest condolences to the families of those who have been killed or injured in the earthquake," a UN spokesman said.
He said the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) teams have been alerted to lend their assistance to efforts to respond to humanitarian needs created by the disaster and to mobilize international support.
In Brussels, the European Commission announced that it would release $3.8 million in emergency aid in response to the quake.
The EU's executive body said in a statement that it had mobilised staff in Southeast Asia and in Brussels in response to the quake, which hit the country early on Saturday.
In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin offered urgent assistance to Indonesia and ordered the country's rescue teams to be on standby to fly to the Indonesian island.
"I reaffirm our solidarity and readiness to provide assistance in overcoming the consequences of this natural catastrophe," Putin said in a message to his Indonesian counterpart Susilo Yudhoyono.