Swiss aid experts to leave for quake-hit Indonesia
Switzerland is sending a team of seven emergency aid experts to assist victims of Indonesia's deadly earthquake and tsunami, the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs has confirmed.
The Swiss ministryExternal link told a media conference in Bern that on Monday evening a team of doctors, and water, construction and logistics experts should leave for Jakarta and travel onward to the devastated Sulawesi island, where at least 844 people have died.
After carrying out an assessment, planned for Wednesday, further aid workers could be sent. The first group’s initial tasks will be to evaluate the quality of water and buildings, as well as providing medical assistance, especially to children and pregnant women. Depending on the needs, a field hospital may be set up.
The Swiss Solidarity charityExternal link on Monday launched a fundraising campaign for the emergency needs of victims of the tsunami and earthquake. It is working with five Swiss partners (the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), Caritas, HEKS/EPER, the aid organisation of the Swiss Protestant Churches, Solidar Switzerland and the Swiss Red Cross), who are seeking to provide urgently needed food, water, medicine, and medical and shelter materials.
It was also reported on Monday that the non-governmental organisation Caritas has several aid workers in the region, including a Swiss expert. Caritas Switzerland says it has made available CHF1 million to assist victims.
A 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck the island of Sulawesi in central Indonesia early on Friday and generated a tsunami said to have been as high as 6 meters (20 feet) in places.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) said on Monday that around 191,000 people in Indonesia are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, including 46,000 children and 14,000 elderly people.
Indonesian authorities were reportedly scrambling to get help into Sulawesi island as survivors streamed away from their ruined homes and accounts of devastation filtered out of remote areas.
Dozens of people are reported to be trapped in the rubble of several hotels and a mall in the city of Palu, 1,500 km (930 miles) northeast of Jakarta, which was the worst hit. Hundreds more were feared buried in landslides that engulfed villages.
Of particular concern is Donggala, a region of 300,000 people north of Palu and close to the epicentre of the quake, and two other districts, where communication had been cut off. The four districts have a combined population of about 1.4 million.
Dozens of aid agencies and non-governmental organisations have said they are ready to provide emergency assistance. The European Union has announced that it will provide €1.5 million (CHF1.7 million) in humanitarian aid.
The Geneva-based International Federation of Red and Red Crescent SocietiesExternal link and the Indonesian Red Cross is seeking CHF22 million ($22.3 million) to respond to the emergency and help 160,000 people across the two disaster zones for 20 months. More than 175 volunteers and staff from the Indonesian Red Cross are currently on the ground.
Swiss football boss wants crackdown on individual hooligans
This content was published on
The head of the Swiss Football League says he prefers a harsher approach to individual hooligans rather than collective punishment measures affecting all fans.
Amherd: Council of Europe is ‘as urgently needed as ever’
This content was published on
The Swiss government emphasised on Sunday the vital role of the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe, 75 years after it was founded.
Swiss minister: Italy will back Switzerland in EU talks
This content was published on
Bern can count on the backing of Italy as it re-enters talks with the European Union on future relations, Viola Amherd says.
Student protestors at University of Lausanne continue pro-Palestine sit-in
This content was published on
Since Thursday, a hall on campus has been occupied by students calling for a boycott of Israeli academic institutions and a ceasefire in Gaza.
This content was published on
Swiss public broadcasters RTS and SRF are drastically reducing their communications via the social network X (formerly Twitter).
Israel: president of Swiss universities rejects academic boycott
This content was published on
Luciana Vaccaro, president of Swissuniversities, the umbrella group of Swiss universities, is not in favour of an academic boycott of Israeli universities.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Switzerland contributes funds for Lombok earthquake relief
This content was published on
The funds will be handed over to the Indonesian Red Cross through the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, the SDC announced on Friday. The local Red Cross is providing emergency shelter, healthcare, water and subsistence for those affected by the earthquakes. The Swiss representation in Jakarta is in permanent contact with…
This content was published on
Ten years after the tsunami, Swiss Solidarity commissioned Channel Research, an independent consultancy in Belgium, to evaluate the long-term impact of 29 of its projects carried out in India, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. Nearly 90% of the recipients of Swiss aid are now able to meet their own basic needs, the report says. All in…
This content was published on
Ten years ago this Christmas an earthquake devastated the coasts along the Indian Ocean. The islanders of Ko Phra Thong, in Thailand, were deluged with aid but the houses and schools built with Swiss money lie empty and in ruins.
Swiss humanitarian aid unit: rapid response experts for crisis zones
This content was published on
Whether it is water specialists or mediators, Switzerland has some 700 experts who can be deployed in humanitarian crises all over the world.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.