Pakistan's President Gen. Pervez Musharraf appeals to international community for quake relief, state-run news agency says.
By ASSOCIATED PRESSPakistan's President Gen. Pervez Musharraf appeals to international community for quake relief, state-run news agency says.
Shortly prior to Musharraf's appeal, Russia announced that it was planning to send rescuers to Pakistan on Sunday to help out after the devastating earthquake that hit South Asia, officials said.
An Ilyushin Il-76 plane carrying emergency workers and equipment take offs for Islamabad from an airfield near Moscow in the afternoon, a duty officer at the Emergency Situations Ministry said.
The ITAR-Tass news agency reported that the plane would carry 30 rescuers headed by a high-level ministry official, as well as four dogs trained to find people under debris.
It will also carry trucks and mobile equipment that should allow the rescue team to operate independently in the disaster area for up to two weeks, the report said.