LINKIN AID

• 6th Jan 2005

US rock band Linkin Park have set up a charity fund for countries affected by the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster.
The band have set up an organisation called Music for Relief with an initial $100,000 (£52,000) donation.

“We are fortunate to be in a position to help, but this needs to be a broader effort,” guitarist Brad Delson said.

More than 125,000 people are confirmed dead in the wake of the tsunami, which followed an earthquake in the ocean off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia.

In the summer, Linkin Park played sell-out stadium shows in Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia, which have all suffered tsunami fatalities.

Delson added: “If one of our fans can donate $10, then that's going to help… We are also going to appeal to our musical peers by asking them to donate as well.”

All money raised by Music for Relief will go to the American Red Cross.

Delson described the band's creation of Music for Relief as “our way of giving back to the people who so desperately need it”.