Indonesia prioritizes quake victims evacuation
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The Indonesian government has declared on Thursday evacuation of victims a top priority of humanitarian efforts in Padang and Pariaman, West Sumatra following a 7.6-magnitude earthquake that rattled the province on Wednesday.
Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Aburizal Bakrie said in Padang that thousands of people might have remained trapped under the rubble as the quake caused many buildings to collapse.
Speaking on the sidelines of a meeting with after a meeting with Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari, Social Services Minister Bachtiar Chamsyah, Home Minister Mardiyanto and Governor Gamawan Fauzi in Padang, the minister said the evacuation efforts would be led by the province's governor.
"The West Sumatra governor as the coordinator of disaster management has been requested to focus on evacuation of the victims," Aburizal said.
Aburizal said that the central government had supplied 80 tons of fuel to be distributed to gas stations across the province, sent in five water purifying trucks and five tons of medical supplies and baby food.
He said that the initial aid is provided for 200,000 quake victims.
The Wednesday's quake that hit Padang and Pariaman also caused infrastructure damages in seven other towns in the province.
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