Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
UN Sends Aid, Experts To Solomon Islands
UN Sends Aid, Experts To Solomon Islands In Response To Pacific Tsunami
The United Nations Children's Fund has pre-positioned emergency medical supplies to help thousands of people in the Solomon Islands while experts from the world body are poised to travel to the region in response to an earthquake and resulting tsunami which shook the region earlier today.
An earthquake measuring 8.1 struck 345 kilometres northwest of the Solomon Islands' capital, Honiara, causing a tsunami, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which cited reports of damage in the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea.
Media reports put the number of deaths in the Solomon Islands at eight, though numbers are expected to increase. Some reports are claiming that villages have been "completely wiped out," OCHA said in its first situation report on the emergency.
UNICEF has pre-positioned emergency medical supplies in the Solomon Islands for up to 10,000 people including 10 emergency kits, 5 'school in a box' kits and 3 recreation kits. The UNICEF Pacific Emergency Focal Point -- a member of the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination Team -- will travel to the Islands tomorrow.
The Government of the Solomon Islands is expected to make a request for international assistance, OCHA said.
ENDS
Save The Children: It’s Not Safe And It’s Not Clean, But People Believe They Are Leaving Something Worse Behind
APEC: APEC Commits To Empowering People With Disabilities
UN News: Israeli Forces Bringing War To The West Bank, Warns UN Rights Office
UN News: 10,000 People Feared Buried Under The Rubble In Gaza
Save The Children: Heat-stricken Bangladesh Extends School Closures
Hayden Stephens and Associates: Record Class Action Settlement Gives Hope To 50,000 Australian Junior Doctors