Thierry Desmarest, Chairman and CEO of TotalFinaElf, announced today in Toulouse, that the Group TotalFinaElf will create a fund of 10 million French francs to be placed at the disposal of the local community, to contribute towards the emergency relief effort and the assistance of the victims of the disaster.

Underlining that "The only matter of importance to me today is the fate of the victims and the consolation and reassurance that we can bring to our fellow workers and to all those who have suffered and suffer still as a result of this tragedy",  he continued "this fund is intended to support the outstanding human, material and financial effort of the local community in the emergency relief operations and in the assistance of the victims."

In addition, the Group has set up a number of information and support units including:

• An information unit for the families of the victims has been set up at the Grande Paroisse head office in Paris. It can be contacted on +33 (0)1 47 96 97 41.

• A 24-hour helpdesk has been set up to allow people who have suffered loss or injury to come forward and receive advice concerning the appropriate course of action regarding their compensation. The helpdesk can be reached by telephone on +33 (0) 5 62 24 01 72 ; or by fax on +33 (0) 5 62 24 01 71.