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Java Hospitals Crowded; Indonesia Quake Death Toll Surpasses 5,000


The death toll from Saturday's earthquake in Indonesia has topped five-thousand, as thousands of survivors struggle to get enough medical care, food and shelter from heavy rains.

Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has moved into a temporary office in hard-hit Yogyakarta province to supervise recovery operations. He has said humanitarian efforts need to be better coordinated so survivors can get help faster. Many of the estimated five-thousand deaths occurred in Yogyakarta province.

Aid workers say they are running short of food, water and medical supplies. People are lining main roads to beg for supplies from passing vehicles. Agencies are bringing in rice and fortified biscuits, but survivors and aid workers alike say it is not nearly enough. Medical workers on Indonesia's earthquake-battered Java island say they are desperately in need of portable field hospitals as they struggle to treat thousands of injured. Despite efforts by aid agencies to provide emergency shelter, many survivors are choosing instead to sleep outside their damaged homes at night, despite rough weather.

President Yudhoyono says Indonesia will continue its emergency response through August. He has pledged more than 107 million dollars to help victims with medical expenses and home reconstruction.

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