Britain and Australia followed Japan and the United States in pledging dramatic increases in emergency aid for victims of the tsunami disaster in Asia as the world community struggled to cope with its mushrooming fallout.
London and Canberra, each pledging the equivalent of nearly 30 million US dollars (22.1 million euros), expected to raise their contributions further as awareness of the scale of the destruction, loss of life and risk of epidemics grew by the hour.
The announcements amounted to a 15-fold increase in commitments from the British government and a three-fold increase from the Australian government, a day after the United States more than doubled its pledge to 35 million dollars.
In Texas, US President George W. Bush said Australia, India, Japan and the United States would form a "core group" to lead relief efforts and hit back at criticism of aid offered by rich countries.
Asked about a report of a UN official referring to wealthy countries as "stingy" in their international aid, Bush said: "I felt like the person who made that statement was very misguided and ill-informed."
The United States was also sending an aircraft carrier, helicopter carrier and military forces from Asian bases toward disaster areas to help out.
Japan on Tuesday sent three navy vessels to Thailand and pledged 40 million dollars to provide emergency food, medicine and shelter to victims of the tsunamis.
An Indian official said New Delhi had turned down aid from Israel, Japan, Russia, the United States and other countries as it had "adequate resources" to provide relief to the thousands of Indians.
In Paris, the French government pledged to provide 15 million euros (20.3 million dollars) in disaster aid.
The various government pledges were part of a worldwide humanitarian drive that also involved leading groups like the International Committee of the Red Cross, smaller non-government organizations, ethnic Indian and Sri Lankan communities overseas, corporations, professional associations and religious institutions.
They were all in the process of transferring money or organizing cargo flights carrying food, fresh water, medical supplies, clothing and tents to stricken countries like India, Indonesia, the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
The United Nations has said the international aid needed over the coming months was likely to exceed the previous record UN appeal of 1.6 billion dollars for Iraq last year. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies appealed for another 44 million dollars in immediate aid.
With so much aid to be sent to the region, relief officials, government ministers and former US president Bill Clinton all urged the United Nations to take a coordinating role to make sure all victims get exactly what they need.
In announcing the increase in aid pledges in Sydney, Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Australia had "special responsibilities" as a regional neighbor and Indian Ocean littoral state.
Downer, who said most of the aid would go to Indonesia and to a lesser extent Sri Lanka, also committed his government to providing substantial additional assistance to help rebuild the battered nations.
Millions will also go to the Australian branches of non-governmental aid organisations and help relief efforts in other countries like Thailand and the Maldives.
In addition to the federal government aid, Australian states, banks, airlines and telecommunications companies as well as donors were also chipping in. Qantas and Virgin Blue airlines both donated flights to carry medical teams and equipment to the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
After his government defended his staying on in Egypt following the tragedy, vacationing British Prime Minister Tony Blair gave his first reaction to the tragedy that occurred on Sunday.
"This New Year the world is united in sorrow for those affected by one of the biggest natural disasters in our lifetime," Blair said.
His government would use its upcoming chairmanship of the G8 industrial group of nations to help provide aid, he added.
His government earlier pledged 15 million pounds (21.3 million euros, 28.9 million dollars) in immediate aid for the stricken region, up from a commitment of one million pounds.
Oxfam, Save the Children, the British Red Cross, World Vision, and Christian Aid were among many groups which have launched a fundraising appeal under the umbrella of Britain's Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC).
Relief efforts were also organized by Britain's 1.3 million-strong Indian community, one of the biggest ethnic Indian communities in the world, and 250,000-strong Sri Lankan community.
The Luxembourg government, preparing to assume the rotating presidency of the European Union on Saturday, plans to arrange an emergency EU ministerial meeting at the beginning of January to organize aid for disaster victims.
In addition to traditional Western donors, aid was flowing in from less usual sources such as Argentina, Brazil and China, UN officials said.
Impoverished Cambodia was also contributing.
The Czech Republic in eastern Europe was sending a planeload of aid to Thailand while the wealthy city state of Singapore was sending helicopters, hundreds of military personnel and medical staff to Indonesia.
Saudi Arabia said it would give 10 million dollars in emergency funding, while the Turkish government said it would contribute one million dollars to the international relief campaign.
The World Food Programme said some 30,000 to 50,000 people in Somalia were "in need of immediate relief assistance" and that it was facing major logistical obstacles in delivering the aid to northern Hafun island.
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