The European Commission (EC) has decided to provide a total of 3 million euros (3.9 million US dollars) for the victims of tidal waves in South Asia, an EC pressrelease reported on Sunday.

The EC Humanitarian Aid Department is mobilizing rapidly in response to the crisis triggered by the tsunami in the Indian Ocean, the report said.

The fund, which will meet vital demands, is earmarked under theEC special primary emergency procedure, and further substantial assistance is likely to be delivered rapidly, it added.

An European Commissioner for Humanitarian and Development Aid Louis Michel said the EC has an emergency response team in the capital of Brussels, who are working in close contact with our field staff in the affected region to determine which region needed aid initially and how the aid can be delivered effectively.

"We are also in touch with our operational partners: the Red Cross, or the Red Crescent and NGOs, who are responsible for delivering the aid. We are doing everything possible to ensure that the assistance reaches the worst affected regions by this terrible tragedy," he said.

The tidal waves triggered by a powerful earthquake in deep sea have killed more than 6,000 people in the South Asian countries and destroyed many houses along the coasts.