Saturday, January 1 2005 11:12 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

United Nations: With the US raising its contribution ten-fold to $350 million, the combined pledges of Governments and international organisations for the relief of victims of the Tsunami disaster have gone up to about $1.2 billion, the United Nations has announced.

But, the UN officials say while money is pouring in, the major obstacle now is of logistics, distribution and reaching the aid to people in the hardest hit areas.

More pledges came as the UN said the death toll in the unprecedented tragedy may be approaching 150,000.

India, which is among the worst-hit countries, has already politely declined international offers of assistance.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said yesterday (Dec 31, 2004) that while "we're doing very well for the moment" in raising funds, bottlenecks remain in delivering aid, especially in Indonesian province of Aceh, closest to the epicentre of the undersea earthquake that sparked Tsunamis and home to the most deaths.

At the same time, more funds would be required in the months to come, said Annan, who released a video message urging generous contributions and pointing out that "it is crucial that we sustain our response for the long term because effects of this tragedy will be felt for a very long time".

About one million people are homeless and five million need immediate relief.

US President George W Bush said in a statement yesterday that Washington is to increase its aid for victims of Tsunami devastation to $350 million, terming it an "epic disaster".