Australia on Wednesday announced US$25 million (US$19.2 million) as new relief fund to help the tsunami-affected areas in Asia, bringing its total support to US$35 million (US$26.9 million).
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said in a press release that US$10 million (US$7.7 million) of the new aid, including food and water, shelter and clothing, medical care, emergency power and public health measures, will go to Indonesia.
Another US$5 million (US$3.85 million) will go to Sri Lanka, which is one of the hardest-hit countries in the tsunami strike on Sunday.
Downer said Australian non-governmental organizations will have 5 million of the new funding and another 5 million will be used to support international relief efforts in countries like Thailand and the Maldives.
The foreign minister also said that Australian civilian medical teams will be deployed to affected countries starting Thursday.
"So far we've committed US$35 million and I think in the end we will have to commit considerably more than that, particularly helping the rehabilitation of some of these communities that have been utterly devastated," he said.
Downer said the death toll for Australians remains at eight and the figure could be much higher later.