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World Headlines
Monday June 5 2:17 AM ET
Indonesia Quake Kills 40, Hundreds Injured
By Dean Yates
JAKARTA (Reuters) - A powerful earthquake and several strong aftershocks
hit the Indonesian island of Sumatra
overnight, killing at least 40 people and injuring hundreds, officials and
local media said on Monday.
The Antara news agency said three hospitals in Bengkulu town on Sumatra's
west coast had been swamped with victims
from the quake, which measured 7.9 on the Richter scale and lasted for
some four minutes late on Sunday when most
people were asleep.
Doctors were struggling to treat hundreds of injured in hospital corridors
and parking lots at Bengkulu town, where the
confirmed death toll was 40, it added.
Information from the rest of Bengkulu province was scarce because most
communications
with outlying areas had been severed by the quake, raising the spectre of a
high death toll.
Antara said it was likely other parts of the province had been affected.
``We have been told to expect more victims,'' one official at Bengkulu's
Rafflesia Hospital
said.
Many buildings in Bengkulu town had been damaged, including the provincial
governor's office and the local parliament,
Antara said. Rescuers were searching for people buried in rubble.
Officials said the earthquake had also damaged communications at the city
airport, forcing it to close. Flights would
probably be canceled until Thursday, they said.
``We have few details about the impact because the quake has cut most
communications in the province. The army has
sent rescue teams to various areas,'' one police officer said by telephone.
Bengkulu province is relatively lightly populated by Indonesian standards,
with about 1.4 million people in total. More
than 260,000 people live in Bengkulu town.
While Sumatra is a vital source of commodities such as palm oil, coffee
and rubber, Bengkulu province plays only a
limited role in such trade. It is not a big tourist destination.
The initial quake measured 7.9 on the Richter scale, with an epicenter 112
km (70 miles) from Bengkulu off the west
coast of Sumatra, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Indonesia's Meteorology
and Geophysics Agency measured it at 7.3 on
the Richter scale.
Officials said an earthquake of such a magnitude could cause major damage
and leave numerous casualties. Doctors were
already grappling with a lack of medical supplies and blood, Antara said.
The Antara news agency and other reports said there had been panic in
Bengkulu and other parts of Sumatra after the
earthquake hit, fuelled by fears of aftershocks.
Antara said tents had since been erected in Bengkulu town, where many
residents were sheltering.
Tremors Felt In Jakarta, Singapore
Rescue efforts were being hampered by the lack of electricity, which had
been knocked out by the quake. Water supplies
had also been cut and public transport disrupted.
The quake hit at 11:28 p.m. local time (1628 GMT) on Sunday, when most
people were inside their homes. It was followed
by several strong aftershocks.
The tremors were felt as far away as Indonesia's capital Jakarta, 536 km
(335 miles) to the southeast of the epicenter,
where some residents fled tall buildings when the earthquake hit.
Hundreds of Singapore residents fled their apartments after feeling the
tremors.
Carolyn Bell, spokeswoman for the U.S. Geological Survey in Golden,
Colorado, said the earthquake's epicenter was
relatively close to the earth's surface.
Indonesia's far-flung islands are regularly hit by earthquakes. At least
34 people died last month when an earthquake
measuring 6.5 hit hit central Sulawesi and some neighboring islands.
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