Bad weather hampers relief aid for tsunami victims
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High tidal wave around the islands hit by a deadly tsunami, and the damaged road to the small airport in Mentawai regency of West Sumatra province have hampered efforts to deliver relief aid to more than 2,100 tsunami victims.
As of noon Wednesday in the provincial capital of Padang, pile of donated relief aid were stored in the provincial National Search and Rescue (Basarnas) agency, waiting to be transported to the victims of tsunami triggered by a major earthquake on Monday.
Most of the relief aid consist of cloths, diapers, drinking water, rice and instant noodle. The agency has also prepared a truck full of body bags to be transported to the disaster areas.
"We have dispatched preliminary aid, paramedics and tents for the victims yesterday. But now, the weather condition in the sea is quite risky for the aid boats to get there. We'll wait until the tide wave lower," Antorizon, the head of Emergency Response section at the agency told Xinhua in his office.
He said that the death toll has now claimed 154 lives with 400 others still missing. All of the victims came from villages in North and South Pagai islands.
He said that due to such a bad sea condition, the agency had to reschedule the aid boat trip to the tsunami-hit islands.
The boat will serve a 12-hour aid transport from Padang's seaport to the islands on daily basis, he added.
Antorizon said that there were three more aftershocks in those two islands on Wednesday morning with average magnitude of 5.8.
According to the head of the provincial emergency task, as of now aid supplies for the victims were considered enough to cover the needs of the victims sheltered in tents and public places.
The agency is now in intensive coordination with the police and the military to dispatch more volunteers, paramedics and aid supplies for the victims that could be increasing in the near future.
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