Home / International / Photo News Tools: Save | Print | E-mail | Most Read | Comment
Indonesia Scarred by Major Quake, 82 Dead
Adjust font size:

A strong 6.3-magnitude earthquake followed by a powerful aftershock shook Indonesia's Sumatra island Tuesday, causing at least 82 deaths, toppling buildings and raising fears for scores more trapped under the rubble, officials announced.

"The toll won't stop rising because the quake happened in a relatively populated region," said Damien Personnaz, a UNICEF spokesman, who first released the figure of 82 dead. Two UNICEF teams are on hand in Sumatra to monitor the aftermath of the tragedy.

Hundreds of others were injured, Rosmini Savitri, an official in the disaster zone, told AFP by phone. "The number of people injured has risen to 257," she said.

A US Geological Survey reported the quake had hit at 10:49 AM (03:49 GMT) around 50 kilometers (30 miles) northeast of the West Sumatra capital Padang. The areas of Tanah Datar, Solok and Padang itself were the worst affected. The quake seems to have been followed by an aftershock close to its original intensity.

Hospitals in Solok and across Sumatra were stretched to bursting point as casualties poured in, rescue coordinator Suryadi told AFP.

Earlier reports from a spokesman for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had placed estimates at 70 killed and scores injured.

It was announced Pres. Yudhoyono might well visit the disaster site and had activated an emergency relief system involving police, military, local authorities and government ministries.

Utjin Sudiana, West Sumatra's police chief, fuelled worries by telling AFP that the situation at the quake's epicenter remained uncertain since phone lines were down.

"The epicenter is in Batusangkar but communication is disconnected from there so we don't know what the damage is," he said.

Indonesia, an archipelago of some 17,000 islands, sits on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, a convergence point for tectonic plates – which consequently suffers from frequent major earthquakes.

Indonesia was the worst-affected nation by the earthquake-triggered Indian Ocean tsunami in December 2004, which killed around 168,000 people in Aceh province alone on the northern tip of Sumatra.

(China Daily via agencies March 7, 2007)

Tools: Save | Print | E-mail | Most Read
Comment
Pet Name
Anonymous
China Archives
Related >>
- Indonesia Quake Death Toll Rises to 1,000
- Sumatra Quake Shook Earth's Total Surface
- Indonesian Tsunami Kills over 239
- Indonesia Seeks Answers After Tsunami Kills 463
- Indonesian Scientist Warns of Another Huge Quake
Most Viewed >>
> Korean Nuclear Talks
> Reconstruction of Iraq
> Middle East Peace Process
> Iran Nuclear Issue
> 6th SCO Summit Meeting
Links
- China Development Gateway
- Foreign Ministry
- Network of East Asian Think-Tanks
- China-EU Association
- China-Africa Business Council
- China Foreign Affairs University
- University of International Relations
- Institute of World Economics & Politics
- Institute of Russian, East European & Central Asian Studies
- Institute of West Asian & African Studies
- Institute of Latin American Studies
- Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies
- Institute of Japanese Studies