Death toll rising after Aceh quake

INDONESIA: At least 92 people were killed and dozens are missing after a magnitude 6.4 earthquake hit the northern Indonesian province of Aceh yesterday, collapsing buildings and sending panicked residents fleeing into the streets.

Indonesian search and rescue teams used earthmovers to clear rubble and reach what authorities believed were dozens of victims trapped underneath.

‘‘Search and rescue teams have found 25 dead victims and 26 seriously injured,’’ Sutopo Nugroho of the national disaster management agency said.

Khairul Nova, an official at the Aceh search and rescue agency, said: ‘‘Dozens are missing but we don’t have accurate data yet.’’

Aceh, on the northern tip of Sumatra island, was devastated by a massive 9.2 magnitude earthquake and tsunami centred on its western coast near the provincial capital, Banda Aceh, on December 26, 2004.

More than 120,000 people were killed in Aceh alone, with entire communities wiped out.

Wednesday’s quake hit the east coast of the province, about 170km from Banda Aceh.

Images on television and social media showed victims being rushed to hospital, flattened buildings and fallen electricity poles, and people gathering outside at street corners.

‘‘The earthquake was felt strongly and many people panicked and rushed outdoors as houses collapsed,’’ Nugroho said.

Heavy machinery was being used in the search for victims, said Risky Hidayat, another search and rescue official in Aceh.

A volunteer for the Indonesian Red Crescent in Pidie Jaya regency in Aceh described scenes of heavy damage and said many people had been injured.

‘‘There isn’t enough medical staff around,’’ a Red Crescent spokesman said.

The United States Geological Survey said the quake struck just after 5am local time at a depth of 17km. No tsunami warning was issued.

At least five aftershocks were felt in the hours after the initial quake. - Reuters