UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 8 (Xinhuanet) -- A UN emergency team is now enroute to Pakistan to assist in the response to the major earthquake that struck the country, a UN spokesman announced Saturday.

    In a statement issued by the spokesman, Jan Egeland, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said "we know that every hour counts in an earthquake of this magnitude and the United Nations is ready to assist the country affected in any possible manner."

    The eight-member UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC)team will assist with ongoing assessment and coordination work, in response to a request made by the Government of Pakistan, the statement said, adding that the team will arrive in Islamabad on Sunday morning.

    In Islamabad, the UN Disaster Management Team (UNDMT) met with most of the international and national non-governmental organizations working in the field of humanitarian assistance, and constituted three UN inter-agency rapid assessment teams, the statement said.

    The priorities highlighted by the government of Pakistan for cooperation and support by the UN and donor community are in immediate relief response, search and rescue, and needs assessment, it noted.

    The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)has already released a 100,000 US dollars emergency cash grant for immediate delivery of relief aid, the statement added.

    Strong tremors, recorded at the magnitude 7.4 on the Richter scale, were felt in northern Pakistan on Saturday morning, killing at least 1,600 people. Enditem