Killer quake hits Indonesia

– At least 52 people have died and hundreds are injured after a strong earthquake struck Aceh province on Indonesia’s Sumatra island yesterday.

The shallow 6.5-magnitude quake hit Pidie Jaya district at dawn, toppling homes, flattening buildings and sending people running for higher ground.

There was no tsunami alert, although they are common with quakes of this magnitude.

The death toll has continued to rise as rescue crews sift through rubble, sometimes by hand, to find those trapped below.

“Fifty-two people have died, 73 sustained serious injuries and 200 others are lightly injured,” said national disaster agency spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.

“Those figures are expected to rise given the massive destruction.”

Hundreds of homes, mosques and shops have collapsed, while a local hospital and school were heavily damaged, he added.

The earthquake was felt across much of Aceh, which was devastated by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

Indonesia experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, where tectonic plates collide. – AFP