Oct 01 2009
Indonesia quake deaths pass 450
At least 464 people are now known to have died in a powerful quake that struck the Indonesian island of Sumatra on Wednesday, the government says. Rescuers struggled in heavy rain on Thursday to find survivors in the rubble of collapsed buildings.
More than 400 people have been seriously injured, and the death toll is expected to rise, officials say. The 7.6-magnitude quake struck close to the city of Padang, the capital of West Sumatra province.
The earthquake brought down hundreds of buildings, including hospitals. It cut power lines and triggered landslides.
“Our prediction is that thousands have died,” said Rustam Pakaya, head of the health ministry’s disaster centre in Jakarta.
A second quake of 6.8 struck close to Padang at 0852 local time (0152 GMT) on Thursday but there are no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
Heavy machinery
The first earthquake struck at 1716 local time (1016 GMT) on Wednesday, some 85km (55 miles) under the sea, north-west of Padang, the US Geological Survey said. A doctor working in Padang told the BBC he thought that thousands of people had been crushed or trapped.
One mother in Padang, Andriana, told AFP news agency she had been at her 14-year-old daughter’s collapsed school since the first quake occurred.
“I haven’t been home yet and keep praying to God my daughter is alive.”
