KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 3 — Mercy Malaysia will be expediting its aid mission to help the victims of the earthquake and tsunami disaster in Central Sulawesi, said its president Datuk Dr Ahmad Faizal Mohd Perdaus.

He said the mission would focus on supplying medicine, water, sanitation and emergency shelters.

"Earthquakes and tsunamis displace people and we will try to do our best to provide emergency shelters for the victims,” he told Bernama when met at Mercy Malaysia’s office here yesterday.

He said Mercy Malaysia had sent an advance team of two people on Saturday to provide the needed feedback and that a six-man team including doctors and medical assistants would leave tonight to render assistance to severely injured and traumatised patients.

He added that Mercy Malaysia could send more volunteers but needed more information from the ground before doing so.

Meanwhile, Amanah’s Youth wing head Sany Hamzan launched the Tabung Bencana Palu Pemuda Amanah Humanitarian Fund here yesterday to collect funds to assist victims of the disaster.

The coordinator of the fund ‘Asim Abdullah Ainullotfi also said that the wing was also ready to despatch a team to assist in relief work in the stricken province.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) director-general Datuk Mohamad Nordin Ibrahim said Jakim would also be launching the Sulawesi Earthquake and Tsunami Fund to assist the victims.

He said the collection would be done at mosques and surau under its and the Federal Territory Islamic Religious Department (Jawi). — Bernama