Diarrhea sends 100 to hospital

TERNATE, Maluku: Diarrhea has broken out on the island of Obi Mayor, hit by a powerful earth quake on Sunday, where more than 100 people are now hospitalized.

Director of Natural Disasters Affairs D.L. Tobing said his office has sent seven tons of rice, 200 pieces of clothing and cooking utensils for 100 families.

A spokesman for the North Maluku regency government, Abd. Latief St. Panduko, said that local health authorities had sent a medical team to the area and that the government has been also receiving donations from private and government organizations since Monday, he said.

A quake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale rocked Ternate Sunday, destroying over 400 homes, killing one person and injuring at least 25 others.

The local station of Meteorology and Geophysics recorded 10 aftershocks on Tuesday, with the strongest measuring 4.5 on the Richter scale, Antara said. (pan)