Thousands feared dead in Indonesia quake
Oct. 1, 2009
Padang (Indonesia): A powerful earthquake that struck western Indonesia trapped thousands of people under collapsed buildings — including hospitals, a hotel and a classroom, officials said.
Soldiers and volunteers carry the quake victims in Sumatra, Indonesia
At least 200 bodies were found in one coastal city and the toll was expected to be far higher.
The temblor Wednesday started fires, severed roads and cut off power and communications to Padang, a coastal city of 900,000 on Sumatra island.
Thousands fled in panic, fearing a tsunami. It was felt hundreds of miles (kilometers) away in Malaysia and Singapore, causing buildings there to sway.
Rescue teams struggled on Thursday to find scores of people trapped under debris and survivors pleaded for aid after a powerful quake hit the Indonesian city of Padang, possibly killing thousands.
The 7.6 magnitude quake struck the bustling port city of 900,000 people on Wednesday, 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.
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 told reporters the country could coordinate the relief efforts but welcomed help from abroad.
A 6.6 magnitude quake hit another part of Sumatra island on Thursday, causing fresh panic. The second quake's epicentre -- inland and further to the southeast -- was 154 km (96 miles) northwest of Bengkulu, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
At least 500 buildings in Padang collapsed or were badly damaged, said Disaster Management Agency spokesman Priyadi Kardono, adding that 200 bodies had been pulled from the rubble there.
The extent of damage in surrounding areas was still unclear due to poor communications.
"I was studying math with my friends when suddenly a powerful earthquake destroyed everything around me," an unidentified boy told the TVOne broadcaster.
He escaped out of the top floor just as the three-story structure, used for after-school classes, crumpled.
Officials in Padang said about 500 houses had caved in and witnesses said many buildings had collapsed after Wednesday's quake.
Priyadi Kardono, a spokesman for Indonesia's disaster management agency, said the effects of Wednesday's quake "could be as big as the Yogyakarta quake", referring to a 2006 disaster that killed more than 5,000 people and damaged or destroyed 150,000 homes.
Indonesia, a poor, sprawling nation with limited resources, was cobbling together an emergency aid response, and the government was preparing for the possibility of thousands of deaths.
Padang's mayor appealed for assistance on Indonesian radio station el-Shinta.
"We are overwhelmed with victims and lack of clean water, electricity and telecommunications," Mayor Fauzi Bahar said.
"We really need help.
We call on people to come to Padang to evacuate bodies and help the injured.
"Hundreds of people were trapped under collapsed buildings in Padang alone, including a four-star hotel, he said.
Other collapsed or seriously damaged buildings included hospitals, mosques, a school and a mall.
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