BRUSSELS, Oct. 8 (Xinhuanet) -- The European Union (EU) is ready to help victims of the earthquake which hit Pakistan, India and Afghanistan, the European Commission announced here on Saturday.

    "The (European) Commission is fully geared up to provide immediate humanitarian aid to the victims of this morning's earthquake in Pakistan, if assistance is needed," EU Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid Louis Michel said in a written statement.

    According to Michel, a team of duty staff in the EC's Humanitarian Aid Department has been working since early Saturday morning, gathering information about the disaster and contacting operational partners to identify ways in which relief can be delivered speedily.

    "As is often the case in natural disasters, it takes time to obtain reliable information about the scale of the needs and whether international assistance is required," said Michel.

    "We are all hoping that the news does not get steadily worse asthe day progresses but we are fearful that the casualty figures may mount and that international support may be needed," he added.

     The quake, which struck South Asia early on Saturday morning with 7.6 magnitude on the Richter scale, is feared to have killed more than 1,000 people in Pakistan and caused a confirmed death toll of at least 157 in India. Enditem