Government pledges £6m to Haiti earthquake aid effort

• Injured people at a makeshift field hospital in Port-au-Prince

British search and rescue workers are heading to the stricken country to help after an earthquake which is thought to have killed tens of thousands of people and left an estimated three million in need of emergency aid.

Today the Haitian Red Cross said it believed 45,000 to 50,000 people had died

The Department for International Development is giving 6.15 million (10 million dollars) to help the humanitarian relief work.

Mr Alexander said: "It is already clear that we are facing a major humanitarian crisis. Haiti needs help and it needs it now.

"The most pressing need is for international search and rescue teams – including firefighters from all over Britain – to get on with their work of saving lives.

"But at the same time there is an overwhelming requirement for food, water, sanitation, shelter and medicine among the people who have been made homeless.

"That is why the Department for International Development is providing money to help kick-start humanitarian relief in Haiti."

The Prime Minister later urged Britons to donate to an emergency appeal for Haiti.

Gordon Brown said the stricken country had suffered a "tragedy beyond imagination" and called for the whole world to respond.

"The last 24 hours have been truly horrific for the people of Haiti. It is a tragedy beyond imagination," he told a press conference in Downing Street.

"I do urge people to support where they can the Disaster Emergency Committee Haiti appeal."

The Department for International Development (Dfid) said the UK contribution will be divided between a number of international agencies and appeals, according to an ongoing assessment of need on the ground.

Around 984,354 (1.6 million dollars) will go immediately to the appeal launched by the International Federation of the Red Cross.

A Dfid spokeswoman said other likely priorities for the remainder of the funds include water, sanitation, health, food and shelters.

A further donation will be made by the Government once the United Nations announces its "flash appeal".

British rescue teams arrived in the Caribbean this morning to help with the search for survivors.

A four-man team from the UK Government and 71 search and rescue specialists with dogs and heavy equipment flew into the Dominican Republic early this morning and transferred to smaller planes to fly to Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti.

Leader Mike Thomas told Sky News: "We are hoping to hit the ground running and really make a difference, to try to rescue as many people as possible."

With the group are four volunteers from UK charity MapAction who will provide emergency mapping services.

Director Nigel Woof said the charity was familiar with Haiti as it operated there in September 2008 after devastation caused by four hurricanes in three weeks.

Estimates of the death toll from Tuesday's quake, measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale, have varied from 50,000 to half a million but the Red Cross said an estimated three million people – a third of the population – may need emergency aid.

Mr Alexander's announcement came after he met British aid agencies this morning to discuss the Disasters Emergency Committee appeal for victims of the quake.

The Scottish Government will also find "many ways" to respond to the devastation caused by the earthquake in Haiti, First Minister Alex Salmond said today.

He said the Red Cross has said the damage in Haiti is worse than was first feared.

The Scottish Government "stands ready to assist" and could send financial aid.

HOW TO DONATE

SEVERAL charities have launched appeals in response to the Haiti earthquake. To make a donation, readers can contact any of the following organisations.

ActionAid: www.actionaid.org.uk or phone 01460 238000

Christian Aid: www.christianaid.org.uk/haiti-appeal or 08080 004 004

Merlin: www.merlin.org.uk or 0207 014 1714

Oxfam: www.oxfam.org.uk or 0300 200 1999

British Red Cross: www.redcross.org.uk or 0845 053 5353

Save the Children: www.savethechildren.org.uk/haiti or 020 7012 6400

SCIAF: 0141 354 5555 or online at www.sciaf.org.uk

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