British charity organizers said on Friday that the public donations they raised for Asian tsunami victims reached 32 million pounds (about 62 million US dollars) inthe 48 hours since the appeal launch.

Donations were pouring in at a rate as much as 15,000 pounds a minute, according to the organizers, who said they had been "overwhelmed" by the response to television and radio appeals.

The British government, heeding public calls to be more generous, has raised its pledge from 15 million to 50 million pounds (about 97 million US dollars), making it the largest bilateral donor so far and Britain leading the global drive to raise money for the victims.

British religious leaders were also joining the effort, with a plea for aid due to be made in mosques, churches and temples.

The death toll from the disaster that struck on Sunday is already at about 124,000, with 29 Britons confirmed dead.

Aid agencies are fighting against the clock to make sure that the destruction caused by the catastrophe and ongoing water shortages do not kill many thousands more.