Wednesday, January 12 2005 15:56 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Geneva: The United Nations has secured aid commitments worth $ 717 million for the Indian Ocean tsunami relief effort over the next six months, its chief coordinator said yesterday (Jan 11, 2005) after a donors' conference.

Jan Egeland said that it was the first time the world body had collected so much money in such a short space of time after a disaster.

The amount is equivalent to 73 percent of the $ 977 million appeal it launched last week to meet the immediate needs of the regions stricken by the December 26 catastrophe.

Egeland said that the cash had been "concretely committed" by representatives of the scores of countries and organisations attending the Geneva conference, and he was confident the appeal would soon be met in full.

"It has never happened before that, two weeks after a disaster, we have $ 717 million that we can spend on an emergency relief effort," he added.

"I expect, from hearing of the very generous pledges additionally, that we will have 100 percent coverage of this emergency appeal."

Billions of Dollars have been pledged worldwide for the relief effort after the disaster, when an undersea earthquake unleashed massive waves that slammed into coastlines across the Indian Ocean, killing more than 1,57,000 people.