BuaNews (Tshwane)
Luyanda Makapela
5 February 2008
Pretoria — President Thabo Mbeki has extended condolences to families in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) who lost their loved ones during an earthquake on Sunday.
In a message of support to Presidents Paul Kagame and Joseph Kabila, Mr Mbeki said South Africa joined the international community in offering its deepest condolences to the governments and people of both countries.
"The people of South Africa share in the pain, sorrow and loss of the governments and people of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo during this moment of bereavement," the President said.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 34 people were killed and 300 others injured as a result of the earthquake which measured 6.1 on the Richter scale.
The epicentre of the temblor was about 20 kilometres north of the provincial capital Bukavu in eastern DRC, close to the border of Rwanda where damage has also been reported.
Parts of neighboring Burundi were also affected, and the region has been shaken by a series of aftershocks.
Nearly 100 buildings have collapsed in Bukavu alone, and more than 800 were damaged. A local dam and hospital have also been damaged.
Schools, churches and a hospital were also affected in the towns of Kabare and Katana, which were both closer to the quake's epicentre.
On Monday, UN humanitarian agencies began distributing emergency relief supplies, including food, tents and surgical kits to the thousands of people living in the far east of the DRC.
In Bukavu, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and its local aid partners have started handing out emergency health and surgical kits and extra health personnel are helping two local hospitals treat the wounded.
The UN Children's Fund estimated that more than 500 tents were urgently needed to provide shelter to those Congolese who have lost their home. Drinking water is also a priority there.
More food, tents and plastic sheeting were expected to be delivered on Tuesday while non-governmental organizations were also working with UN agencies to assess the situation and determine how best to bring relief to locals, who were already suffering from months of fighting in the region between government forces and armed rebels.
Psycho-social support to the victims of the quake was also seen as a key issue.
President Mbeki said South Africans are ready to join the international community in assisting the governments and people of Rwanda and the DRC to deal with the aftermaths of the incident, within its resources.
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