Scots make donations

Glasgow the Caring City charity, which is working with a number of Pakistani causes to buy supplies for the areas, has already received more than �50,000.

Clothes, blankets and medical supplies have been handed to Islamic Relief.

Scottish aid agency Sciaf has pledged �100,000 to help communities hit by the disaster, which is thought to have killed at least 20,000 people.

First Minister Jack McConnell and Keith O'Brien, Scotland's most senior Catholic, are among those who have expressed their sympathy for those affected by the earthquake.

We have the equipment and skills, but we need to get that equipment up into these areas as soon as possible Willie McMartin International Rescue Quake mission for Stockline team

Mr McConnell said he knew many families in Scotland would be worried about relatives in the region and that his thoughts were with those people at this difficult time.

Glasgow the Caring City is linked to Glasgow City Council and has raised more than �5m for disaster relief in recent years.

The charity's chief executive, Rev. Neil Galbraith, said the first priority was to provide shelter for the homeless.

Money raised would pay for food and medical supplies to treat the injured and to try to prevent diseases such as typhoid and diptheria.

I spoke to my colleagues there this morning and they have never ever experienced anything like these scenes Habib Malik Islamic Relief

The charity's patron, Lord Provost Liz Cameron, said the city's prayers were with the many people in Glasgow who had suffered personal losses.

Restaurant entrepreneur Charan Gill, a director of the charity, said: "Glasgow the Caring City, along with the Islamic Relief Forum and a number of other charities, have agreed that there should be a single co-ordinated fund set up in the west of Scotland to effectively channel any money raised."

Glasgow Govan MP Mohammed Sarwar, who is a director of the foundation, said a common fund for a common purpose made sense.

An appeal has already been made in all of Glasgow's mosques.

Oxfam has launched a separate appeal to help the survivors. Judith Robertson, head of the charity in Scotland, said: "There are clear needs in all of the areas affected and the help of the Scottish public will be needed to make sure we can help everyone affected."

TELEPHONE NUMBERS Glasgow the Caring City 0800 6126612 Islamic Relief 0141 423 3929 Sciaf 0800 0279005 Foreign Office information line 0207 008 1500

Mercy Corps, which has headquarters in Edinburgh and North America, is involved in the relief effort.

Edinburgh chief executive Jane Salmonson said: "The devastation is on a massive scale."

However, there has been criticism of the UK Government's response, which was described as "measly" by the Muslim Association of Britain.

That view was shared by Scottish National Party leader Alex Salmond, who said aid should match the scale of the disaster.

Teams from the International Rescue Corps at Grangemouth and Grampian Fire and Rescue have reached the quake zone.

An appeal for aid has been launched in Glasgow

Islamic Relief has aid workers in the town of Muzaffarabad, the worst hit area in the border region between Pakistan and India.

Its Scotland area manager, Habib Malik, said the charity had lost two of its drivers and one of its buildings.

"I spoke to my colleagues there this morning and they have never ever experienced anything like these scenes," he said.

Five specialists in search and rescue from Grampian Fire Service have joined UK colleagues in the quake zone.

MAKING DONATIONS In banks, quote Royal Bank of Scotland account number 00716965 By post, send cheques to the Glasgow The Caring City Asian Earthquake Appeal at 119 Carmunnock Road, Glasgow, G44 5UW

The International Rescue Corps also responded to the call for help and has sent 14 workers to the area.

Willie McMartin, operations director for International Rescue in Scotland, spoke to BBC Scotland from Muzaffarabad about the lack of aid getting through to people in the area.

"They are upset that the aid is so slow coming to them. They feel that they've been forgotten about because it's such a remote area.

"We're a search and rescue team. Although that's our primary function we've ended up helping treat some of the injured," he said.