Following the earthquakes that have hit Sumatra island, the emergency team of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Indonesia has started an evaluation of the damage and the medical needs among the population.

A first team arrived in Padang and found the initial needs were covered well. "They report a quick response from the authorities," says Luc van Leemput, coordinator for the work of MSF in Indonesia. "Outside the hospital, from which patients had to be evacuated, tents had been erected immediately and supply of clean water was already in place when our colleagues visited." This team is now exploring the situation along the coast between Padang and Bengkulu further southeast.

A second team left from Jakarta by chartered plane this morning local time, carrying seven tons of relief supplies including a surgical kit for 25 operations, dressing materials, five large tents and 1,000 blankets. They will assess the needs in and around Bengkulu as quickly as possible. Each of the two teams is made up of medical, paramedical and logistics staff, most of them Indonesians. One team also includes a psychologist.

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