Hanoi (VNA) - An international aid effort to helpthousands of the victims of Indonesia's quake-tsunami disaster is underway inPalu city, the central province of Sulawesi.

United Nations Under Secretary for Humanitarian Affairs andEmergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock said the UN has directed sending aidrelief worth 15 million USD to Indonesia.

An official in charge of monitoring relief supply in Palusaid aid has been sent to affected areas, adding that the International Federationof Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies deployed three vessels carrying reliefgoods, including canvases, sleeping bags and mosquito nets to Indonesia.

It also called for raising 20 million USD in support of thecountry. Nearly 20 nations worldwide proposed helping Indonesia overcome thedisaster.

The Republic of Korea’s Huyndai Motor committed an aid worth500,000 USD, including vehicles, to Indonesia and cigarette maker KT & G offeredaid relief worth 88,700 USD.

Authorities have set October 5 as deadline to seek missingpeople.

A total of 1,424 people have been confirmed dead, over 2,500injured and 114 others remain unaccounted for after the disaster struck onSeptember 29. More than 70,000 people have been forced to evacuate, mostly inPalu and Donggala coastal town.

Over 1,600 victims have been taken to capital Makassar ofsouthern Sulawesi province via waterway, said a police officer.-VNA