OBAMA DEEPLY MOVED, SENDS AID FOR SUMATRA EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS

Jakarta, Oct. 2 (ANTARA) - US President Barack Obama in Washington DC on Thursday expressed his sympathy over the Sumatra earthquake and his administration sent immediate aid to help the victims.

"We're also deeply moved by the suffering and loss of life that's been caused by the recent earthquake in West Sumatra. And my administration has been in touch with the government of Indonesia to make it clear that the United States stands ready to help in this time of need, and I've ordered my administration to coordinate with the ongoing relief and recovery efforts there," President Obama said in his remarks on the recent Sumatra earthquake.

The US President, who had spent his childhood for several years in Indonesia, said Indonesia is an extraordinary country that's known extraordinary hardship from natural disasters.

"I know firsthand that the Indonesian people are strong and resilient and have the spirit to overcome this enormous challenge. And as they do, they need to know that America will be their friend and partner," he said.

The United States announced Thursday it has released 300,000 dollars in immediate aid to the victims of Indonesia's massive earthquake and has set aside another three million dollars for later.

"We immediately released 300,000 dollars to help provide for the most immediate and pressing needs," via the State Department's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, State Department spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters.

He said the Indonesian government has welcomed the dispatch of aid.

Washington, he added, has also "set aside an additional three million dollars to provide further assistance once an assessment has been made of the disaster," by a team dispatched to work with the Indonesian authorities.

It has also sent search and rescue teams who are joining colleagues from Japan, Australia and other countries in the region, he said.

Wednesday (Sept. 30) afternoon's 7.6-magnitude quake toppled buildings and led to fires in Padang, home to nearly a million people on the coast of Sumatra, leaving the city largely without power and communications, and killing at least 600 people.