Development Co-operation Minister Conor Lenihan said two million euros of the extra money will be committed before Christmas to help with emergency relief efforts.

The remainder will be committed early in 2006 to assist in ongoing relief work and starting the recovery process.

Lenihan, who has been holding meetings with Irish aid groups and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf during a two day visit to the quake-hit country, said in a statement that the emergency was far from over.

"The winter is now only beginning. This will bring a whole new set of challenges for people who have already suffered a great deal and it will make relief efforts all the more difficult," he said.

"I very much hope that Ireland's doubling of funds will send a signal to other donors to honour pledges that have already been made and encourage them to do more.

"There are still a great many lives at risk," Lenihan said.

The October 8 quake, which measured 7.6 on the Richter scale, killed 74,000 people and left more than three million homeless.

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