WASHINGTON, Oct 9: US President George W. Bush ordered Pentagon on Sunday to send eight Chinook helicopters to Pakistan for emergency rescue operations in remote areas where thousands of victims of Saturday’s deadly earthquake are still stranded.

“We are moving choppers to Pakistan immediately” to assist in rescue and relief operations, Mr Bush told reporters in Washington. “I have talked to President Musharraf earlier. Pakistan is a friend, and is confronted with a natural disaster and we will render assistance,” he said.

The decision followed a brief telephone call to President Pervez Musharraf during which the Pakistani leader urged Mr Bush to send cargo helicopters for providing immediate assistance to the earthquake survivors in the northern areas and Azad Kashmir. After the telephone call, Pakistan’s charge de affaires in Washington, Mohammed Sadiq, was called to the White House to brief President Bush. “We told President Bush that helicopters are the most important to save lives,” Mr Sadiq told Dawn. “He immediately arranged for the helicopters to be sent to Pakistan.”

After the briefing, Mr Bush told reporters: “Today we have already started to send cash money and other equipment as could be needed to help the people of Pakistan.” He said the US government and the people of the United States will help Pakistan “as best as possibly we can.”

“This is going to be the worst natural disaster in the nation’s history — thousands of people have died, thousands were wounded — and, the United States of America wants to help them,” he said.

Steven Hadley, assistant to the US president for national security affairs, also attended the briefing at the Oval Office where Mr Sadiq was asked to show the areas hit by the earthquake on a large map.

After the 20-minute briefing, Mr Bush spoke with Secretary of State Donald Rumsfeld and advised the Pentagon to provide to Pakistan “the assets at their disposal.” The nearest such assets at the Pentagon’s disposal are in Afghanistan and it is believed that the helicopters will be flown to Pakistan from there.

Later, a seven-member rescue team also had a meeting with Mr Sadiq before leaving Washington for Dubai where it will join a larger team. US forces in Dubai are loading relief goods on a C-130 aircraft which will take the team to Pakistan.