The United Nations on Monday prepared to launch aid appeals for victims of the deadly earthquake in Pakistan and those affected by landslides in Guatemala, an official said, according to DPA. The appeals will be launched Tuesday and efforts were underway Monday to estimate the amount of aid needed, said Ed Tsui, director of the United Nations office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs. Unofficial estimates in Pakistan put fatalities at nearly 40,000 against the government's figure of slightly over 20,000. More than a dozen countries have already pledged support for relief and recovery efforts, including 3.6 million euros from the European Union and up to 50 million dollars from the United States. "Access (to destroyed areas) is a critical problem," Tsui said of the areas in northern Pakistan that were hit by the major earthquake Saturday, which measured 7.6 on the Richter scale. The killer earthquake also affected parts of India and Afghanistan. Guatemala, where mudslides have buried entire villages after a week of heavy rainfall, has asked for 22 million dollars in emergency aid. Tsui said U.N. relief agencies scrambled over the weekend to send logistical teams and supplies to Pakistan. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees and the U.N. Children's Fund said they were sending available supplies from warehouses in Pakistan to quake victims. U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan said in Geneva on Monday that he was encouraged by the rapid and large response by the international community to assist the Pakistani government.
