Philippines Ready to Help Quake-Hit Indonesia

Manila, Philippines, MINA — The Philippines is ready to provide assistance to Indonesia, which was struck by a magnitude 7.4 earthquake that left hundreds of people dead, Philstar reported.

“We join the people of Indonesia in offering our prayers to the hundreds who died after a powerful 7.4 earthquake and tsunami hit Central Sulawesi last Friday,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque said in a statement Sunday.

“The Philippines is ready to respond and extend assistance to Indonesia,” he added.

Citing a report by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Roque said the only Filipino in the earthquake-hit area is safe.

The earthquake, which triggered a tsunami, has left more than 400 dead and more than 500 others injured, according to media reports.

Indonesian authorities are conducting evacuation and rescue operations in affected areas.

The earthquake happened a month after a series of earthquakes hit Lombok, an island in the Indonesian province of West Nusa Tenggara, and claimed the lives of more than 500 people.

Indonesia, like the Philippines, is prone to earthquakes because it is located on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, a horseshoe-shaped area which has a total of 452 active and dormant volcanoes. (T/RS5/RS1)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)