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Food aid arrives in Indonesia

Death toll nears 5,000; Power outages hinder rescuers

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A boy watches his destroyed home while his parents seek food in Bantul.

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JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- Emergency food aid is arriving in two hard-hit districts of central Java, two days after a large earthquake flattened communities in this heavily populated Indonesian region.

The first U.N. aid flight landed in the quake zone carrying water, hygiene kits and tents, according to The Associated Press, as rescuers sifted through the debris of homes searching for survivors.

The country's Social Affairs Ministry said 4,983 people have died from Saturday's quake in southern Indonesia and nearly 4,000 were injured. The government has declared a state of emergency to speed up relief efforts.

Hospitals have been overwhelmed by the injured --- 2,192 of the 4,000 are seriously wounded --- and medical workers fear tens of thousands of injured may not be receiving adequate treatment.

"Patients are still in the streets," said Malcolm Johnston, a representative of the International Federation of the Red Cross in Bantul. "Anywhere you can hang a drip, they're hanging a drip."

Field hospitals have been set up, and people have been treated on the streets. But many people have been reluctant to enter hospitals because they fear structural damage from aftershocks. Since the quake struck before dawn on Saturday, there have been 450 aftershocks.

"We need more paramedics and field hospitals to take care of those who are injured," Andy Mallarangeng, spokesman for Yudhoyono, told CNN on Sunday. (Watch traumatized survivors comprehend what's happening -- 2:12)

Heavy rain added to the misery Monday as grieving survivors scavenged for food in the debris of their houses. Hundreds of thousands went without shelter for a second night Sunday, living in makeshift tent cities or camping outside hospitals as they wait for help. (Watch the survivors camp in the debris, waiting for help -- 1:48)

Experts have estimated that 24,800 homes have been damaged and as many as 100,000 people have been left homeless.

"There are many, many, many people in misery right now," said Brook Weisman-Ross, a spokesman for the international children's charity, Plan International.

Most of the dead are being found in Bantul, a district near the Java coast just south of the historic tourist destination of Yogyakarta, about 250 miles (400 kilometers) southeast of the capital, Jakarta. (See where the quake hit)

Military troops were deployed from Jakarta to help dig people out of the rubble from the quake and to evacuate victims.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono canceled a planned trip to South Korea to help deal with the quake effort and urged people to work around the clock as he visited the region Saturday afternoon.

The Indonesian government has allocated 75 billion rupiah ($8 million) for its initial emergency response, and on Sunday, Australia offered A$3 million ($2.27 million) for emergency food, shelter and medical supplies.

The U.N. World Food Program announced Sunday three trucks carrying enough high-energy biscuits to feed 20,000 people for a week had arrived in the districts of Bantul and Klaten. (Watch tearful survivor tour destruction -- 2:36)

More WFP and other aid trucks are en route to the area.

"The challenge is to make sure there is no mismatch between what is needed and what is being offered," said Dr. Marty Natalegawa, the Indonesian ambassador to the United Kingdom.

Earlier, WFP spokesman Trevor Rowe told CNN they were planning to bring in 80 tonnes of food, several teams of doctors and 2,300 kilograms (5,000 pounds) of medicine.

Countries across the globe pledged monetary aid adding up to millions of dollars. (Where to donate)

The Spanish government said Sunday it would send a plane with 12 tonnes of humanitarian aid -- including blankets, tents, tarpaulins, medicines and sanitary supplies -- to Indonesia on Monday.

The 6.3-magnitude quake struck just before dawn Saturday about 15 miles (25 kilometers) south-southwest of Yogyakarta, near the volcano Mount Merapi.

Ring of fire

Indonesia sits on the Asia Pacific's so-called "ring of fire," marked by heavy volcanic and tectonic activity. Scientists worried about the impact of the quake on Mount Merapi, which experts and villagers have watched closely in the past few weeks.

The nearby volcano has been rumbling for weeks, spewing out lava and hot gases.

Many aid workers anticipating a major eruption were stationed in the region, and they shifted their attention to helping earthquake survivors. Relief teams who remained in the area following the massive 2004 tsunami helped as well.

On Sunday, two strong earthquakes were reported in the Pacific, a 6.2-magnitude quake in Papua New Guinea and a 6.7-magnitude quake in Tonga.

The earthquake is the worst disaster in Indonesia since the December 26, 2004, magnitude-9 earthquake that triggered a tsunami, killing at least 131,029 people in Indonesia alone.

Another earthquake on March 28, 2005 killed about 900 people off the western coast of Sumatra.

CNN's Dan Rivers, Kathy Quiano and Al Goodman contributed to this report

Copyright 2006 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

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