Earthquake kills over 70 in Jambi

JAKARTA (JP): At least 70 people were killed following a powerful earthquake that struck Kerinci, a regency in the western part of Jambi province shortly after 1 a.m. yesterday.

Earlier, there were conflicting reports about the number of casualties as Jambi officials, rescue workers and military personnel worked around the clock to unearth bodies from under rubble and to look for possible survivors.

Jambi Governor Abdurrahman Sayoeti told state television TVRI last night that the actual body count was 70, with 50 people listed as injured.

The Jambi office of the Ministry of Social Services said over 10,000 buildings were destroyed or damaged by the quake, according to Antara.

Some local officials contacted earlier said the number could exceed 100 because many people were believed to have been buried under their collapsed houses.

Col. Muchdi Pranjono, the chief of the Jambi military command, said at midday yesterday that his provisional figure also indicated that the casualties were "about 100".

The worst affected area was Gunung Kerinci Regency at the foot of Mt. Kerinci about 410 kilometers to the west of Jambi town.

An earlier report by Antara said that in Sungaipenuh, the largest town in the regency, more than 100 people may have been killed. More than 500 buildings -- including houses, mosques and other public facilities -- collapsed, the report said.

Roads were damaged and bridges destroyed, making rescue efforts even more difficult, it said. Telephone lines and electricity poles were knocked down by the impact.

The Meteorology and Geophysics Agency in Jakarta said the earthquake measured 7 on the open-ended Richter scale.

Epicenter

Its epicenter was put at about 16 kilometers west of Sungaipenuh which lies close to the West Sumatra border. Semurup, a town near Sungaipenuh, also reported casualties and extensive damage.

Irsal Nurdin, a Semurup resident, told The Jakarta Post by phone that he counted 25 bodies by 11 a.m., and the number continued to rise.

Irsal, who was contacted on his hand phone, said that based on contacts with residents in other districts, the number of casualties was already in excess of 100. "This is not counting those who are buried under the rubble."

The earthquake struck when most people were asleep and they hardly had time to flee homes for safety, he said.

One resident said the tremor lasted more than 30 seconds.

A series of aftershocks, though of declining intensity, added to the terror residents faced since the first blow, Irsan said.

"Most people just stayed outside their homes. They're too frightened to go inside. One more strong tremor, and their houses will collapse," he said, saying that houses in Semurup were either flattened to the ground, or have developed huge cracks.

"I guess they'll be camping outside tonight" he said.

Irsan said all hospitals and community health centers in both Semurup and Sungaipenuh were so full that many who sustained serious injuries were left unattended. Many were still lying on the streets yesterday afternoon, he added.

"We desperately need food," Irsan said. "The food left behind inside houses is inedible."

Officials in Jambi said among the districts in Sungaipenuh that saw the most damage were Gunung Kerinci, Air Hangat, Sitinjau Laut and Danau Kerinci.

Aryana Yasin, the head of the Jambi meteorology office, said that communication with most of the areas struck by the earthquake were virtually cut off, making it difficult for officials to assess the extent of casualties and damage.

Governor Abdurrahman Sayoeti last night urged people in his province to extend help to quake victims and to pray for their wellbeing. "I appeal to everyone to remain calm and to pray, and extend whatever help you can to ease the suffering of our brothers and sisters struck by the disaster," he was quoted by Antara as saying.

Col. Muchdi, the Jambi military commander, said he had dispatched an entire company from the 142nd battalion, two ambulances and army doctors and paramedics to the stricken areas.

They also brought with them food and medicines, he told Antara.

Relief operation

Ahyat Kurnia of the Jambi provincial administration said his office was coordinating the relief operation in Gunung Kerinci, establishing public kitchens in the stricken areas, sending relief food including sacks of rice and two truckloads of instant noodles, and dispatching medical teams.

The Ministry of Health in Jakarta has also responded quickly. "We're sending five ambulances, 41 doctors and paramedics. They will board a Hercules transport plane that's leaving for Jambi this afternoon," Bagus Mulyadi of the directorate of public hospitals, told the Post.

Yesterday's earthquake was the worst of numerous quakes to strike the island of Sumatra in the last 20 months. In February 1994, an earthquake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale struck the Liwa regency in the southern province of Lampung, killing 201 people.

Both Gunung Kerinci and Liwa are located along the Barisan Range which experts say are highly prone to earthquakes. (03/05/emb)