UAE sends aid to Indonesia in wake of deadly earthquake

Emirates Red Crescent dispatches food and medical supplies to stricken island

People cry out as the body of a relative is retrieved from the ruin of a building at an area affected by an earthquake in Mamuju, West Sulawesi, Indonesia on January 15.  Yusuf Wahil / AP Photo

The UAE has sent urgent humanitarian aid to people affected by the earthquake that rocked the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.

Food, medical supplies and other vital items have arrived in the country to help alleviate the situation.

The effort was being overseen by the Emirates Red Crescent, with teams already in the field to distribute the materials.

At least 81 deaths were confirmed in the January 15 quake. More people are feared to have died.

Hundreds of people were injured while aftershocks have also jolted the region.

Mohammed Al Falahi, secretary general of the Red Crescent, said the UAE’s leadership strives to provide people in need and those affected by disasters with aid.

The 6.2 magnitude earthquake that rocked Sulawesi was followed by heavy rainfall that flooded the Krueng Langsa river.

The floods affected many areas of the island and left thousands homeless after damaging houses, hospitals and schools.

The ERC has been in Indonesia since the 1990s and its office in Jakarta was among the first to be opened globally.