Quake injures dozens, destroys hundreds of buildings

Quake injures dozens, destroys hundreds of buildings

Nani Farida and Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh/Medan

A strong earthquake rocked parts of Aceh province and neighboring
North Sumatra on Saturday morning, injuring at least 43 people
and destroying or damaging hundreds of houses, shops and offices.

No casualties were reported, but doctors in Aceh said seven of
the injured victims were in critical condition and required
surgery.

Officials in Aceh said around 200 houses and six government
offices were severely damaged, while at least 100 families had
taken refuge in mosques and emergency shelters.

"Houses on Jl. Tuanku Diujung in Suka Java village collapsed,
as did others in Air Dingin village," said Danirus, a security
guard at the Semeuleu regent's office in Aceh.

He said the quake destroyed a large structure in the regent's
complex and the buildings of the local fisheries and justice
offices.

Semeuleu is an island in Aceh province that has a population
of more than 66,000 people, where the strong earthquake was
centered. The island is located around 170 kilometers west of
Medan, North Sumatra. Semeuleu comprises five districts and 75
villages.

Local villagers said the quake lasted between two and five
minutes. They were advised by the Semeuleu administration to stay
outdoors in anticipation of ensuing after shocks.

Elsewhere, thousands of panicked residents, including
officials and workers in state and private buildings in Aceh and
Medan, fled their houses and buildings when the quake struck.

There were no reports of damage in North Sumatra.

Officials at the Medan-based Meteorology and Geophysics Agency
(BMG) said the earthquake measured 5.6 on the Richter scale and
struck at 8:26 a.m.

However, Australian scientists in Canberra said the quake
measured 7.7 on the Richter scale and was centered 200 kilometers
offshore from Medan.

Tremors were felt in Medan city and a number of areas in Aceh,
including Lhokseumawe, Tapaktuan, Meulaboh and Banda Aceh. In
Medan, it lasted 15 seconds.

Residents of Tapaktuan in South Aceh district and others in
Medan said it was an "extremely strong" quake.

"This quake resulted from the natural process caused by a
lithosphere movement," Rivuar, a BMG official in Medan, told The
Jakarta Post.

Rivuar's colleague Satya Rambe said the quake crippled the
communications lines between Simeleu and Medan.

Rivuar said signs of the quake had been detected before it
struck and warned that after shocks of lesser strength could
follow.

Last year, a similar quake rocked Tapanuli regency in North
Sumatra, leaving at least 29 houses destroyed and 29 others
damaged. No casualties were reported.

Mark Leonard of Geoscience Australia said an earthquake of
such a size occurred only two or three times in the world in any
year.

"It's about the same magnitude of the very destructive Gujarat
quake in India two years ago (which killed thousands of people).
It's that kind of size," he was quoted by AFP as saying.

"It's not likely to be as destructive because it was
offshore," he added.