Thousands feared dead from Indonesia quake
Struggling rescuers continued Thursday to uncover trapped victims from debris and provide medical aid to survivors after a powerful earthquake hit the Indonesian city of Padang on Wednesday, possibly killing thousands.
The 7.6 magnitude quake struck the bustling port city of 900,000 people on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, toppling hundreds of buildings. Telephone connections were patchy, making it hard for officials to work out the extent of destruction and loss of life.
“I have been through quakes here before and this was the worst. There is blood everywhere, people with their limbs cut off. We saw buildings collapsed, people dying,” said American Greg Hunt, 38, who was at Padang airport.
Journalists reporting from on the scene said that rescuers were pulling people from buildings, but there was little sign of much aid being distributed yet. Fuel was also in short supply and there was a report of looting, while some shops had run out of food.
Health Minister Siti Fadillah Supari told reporters at an airport in Jakarta before leaving for Padang that the number of dead could be numbered in the thousands, given the widespread damage. A worker compiling disaster data at the social ministry put the number killed of confirmed deaths at 529.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who arrived back from the G20 meeting on Thursday, told reporters the country could coordinate the relief efforts but welcomed help from abroad.
Australia, South Korea and Japan were among nations offering aid or help.
Two Indonesian Hercules transport planes carrying medical aid, as well as 20,000 tents and 10,000 blankets, also flew to Padang on Thursday, the state Antara news agency reported.
A 6.6 magnitude quake hit another part of Sumatra island on Thursday, causing fresh panic but no reported deaths. The second quake’s epicenter was about 225 km (140 miles) southeast of Padang, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
Elshinta radio reported that 12 people were hurt in the town of Jambi and 60 houses damaged.
Sumatra is one of the world’s most seismically active places. A 9.15 magnitude quake, its epicenter 600 km (375 miles) northwest of Padang, caused the 2004 tsunami that killed 230,000 people in Indonesia and other Asian nations.