WASHINGTON - THE US government said on Thursday it is sending US$1 million (S$1.5 million) in aid to the victims of an earthquake in Pakistan, and would provide more assistance if needed.

'USAID has provided an initial one million dollars in assistance to help meet the immediate needs of those affected by the earthquake,' the US Agency for International Development said in a statement.

The agency said the aid would be distributed through international and non-governmental organisations.

'We are working alongside the Pakistani government and the international community to assess the damage. These assessments will help determine what additional assistance the US might be able to provide,' it said.

In a statement, USAID Administrator Henrietta Fore said the organisation 'is continuing to monitor the situation and is prepared to provide additional assistance if needed'.

The death toll from the earthquake in southwest Pakistan could climb above 300, officials said on Thursday, as rescuers struggled to deliver aid to desperate survivors.

Multiple aftershocks continued to rock impoverished Baluchistan province, creating fresh fears among survivors who prepared to spend a second night in the open in freezing temperatures as the cold winter set in.

USAID said Washington has in the past given more than US$2 billion for programmes in Pakistan to improve health, education, economic growth, democratic governance and to rebuild areas hit by the October 2005 earthquake. -- AFP