Aid appeals have been launched following the devastating natural disasters, which have hit several Asia-Pacific islands.

The UN and world aid charities are calling for emergency aid and support from countries around the world following the 7.6 magnitude earthquake which has struck Sumatra, Indonesia, killing thousands.

The earthquake, which hit on Wednesday (30 September), is the latest in a series of weather related disasters in the last week.

Referring to the earthquake, together with the tsunami and severe weather that has been devastating the Asia-Pacific region, John Holmes, Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs at the United Nations (UN), said: “There is a lot of emergency relief needed in all these cases.”

In the Philippines, a month’s worth of rainfall fell in 24 hours, creating six-metre high floods in Manila and landslides. Mr Holmes said that 277 people had been confirmed dead, with almost 740,000 people displaced.

The 8.0 magnitude earthquake and resulting tsunami in the Pacific, which affected Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga on 29 September, has left 110 people dead including a two-year old British toddler.

So far, 1,100 people have been confirmed dead in West Sumatra following the most recent earthquake and it is feared that thousands more are trapped in the rubble.  

Inel Rosnelli, working with Oxfam’s partner PKBI in Padang, has given an eyewitness account of what the aftermath looks like: “Many people are still trapped in the buildings. Most of the victims seem to be in the centre of town and everything is blocked.

“Traffic cannot move because of the destruction. We have water today but safe drinking water may run out soon, the problem may also be sanitation.”

Aid charities have been quick to help, and are appealing for support to gather as much funding as possible to help those in need, and help the area recover. Oxfam has launched its East Disasters Appeal on its website.

Jane Cocking, the charity’s Humanitarian Director, said: “We had aid ready because this area of Indonesia is susceptible to this type of tragedy. Communications with the quake-zone are difficult and we are hoping for the best but having to plan for the worst.”

Christian Aid has launched its own emergency appeal, as its own partner agencies have already sent emergency task forces to the affected areas.

“The first 48 hours after an earthquake are vital. If you can reach survivors during that time, there is a chance of getting them out alive. We are launching the appeal because the scale of the devastation is significant and information from our partners already indicates the need for a scaled-up response to save lives.”

Some reports have suggested that early-warning systems were too slow, and that people didn’t have a chance to respond before the earthquakes hit.