Vol. 476 No. 2
48 Mr. R. Burke asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will give details of the Government's and the EU's response to the earthquake in northern Iran which is estimated to have killed or injured over 3,600 people and left a further 40,000 people homeless. [6603/97]
The Government has expressed its condolences to the Iranian authorities regarding the recent earthquake in Ardebil Province, northern Iran which I understand has killed almost 1,000 people, injured a further 2,600 and left hundreds of thousands homeless. The Iranian Government has requested assistance from the international community to provide emergency relief supplies for those people who have been left homeless and vulnerable by the disaster.
I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the Government has approved a grant of £25,000 to provide emergency relief supplies to those most affected by this disaster. The grant will be disbursed through the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, which has an excellent track record of providing effective and much needed emergency relief in these type of crisis situations.
I understand that the European Union, through the European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO) is considering the most appropriate response to the disaster and is likely to reach a decision on providing emergency relief funding within the next few days. Other donor nations have also responded swiftly to the request for international assistance, including Norway, Denmark and the United States.
