INDONESIA EARTHQUAKE KILLS AT LEAST 100 PEOPLE

Rescue workers searched for survivors Wednesday after at least 102 people died when a magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia, the U. S. Geological Survey and other sources reported.

Indonesia’s national disaster mitigation agency said 78 people suffered serious injuries and dozens more were feared trapped in collapsed and damaged buildings.

The death toll was expected to rise, Indonesia’s army said.

TV footage showed rescuers in orange uniforms shining flashlights into the interiors of broken buildings as they searched for signs of life, the Associated Press reported.

However, as night fell in the area, rescue efforts were hampered.

The shallow earthquake struck at 5: 03 a. m. local time ( 5: 03 p. m. ET Tuesday) and was centered about 6 miles north of Reuleut, a town in northern Aceh. It had a depth of 11 miles. It did not generate a tsunami. — Melanie Eversley

HERI JUANDA, AP Rescue workers use excavators to search for victims under the rubble of collapsed buildings after an earthquake in Pidie Jaya, Aceh province, Indonesia, on Wednesday. A strong earthquake rocked the area early Wednesday, sparking a frantic rescue effort in the rubble of dozens of collapsed and damaged buildings.