Survivors worry over quake rumors
The Jakarta Post, Medan/Jakarta
A fresh wave of panic swept through Simeulue island off the coast of Aceh on Friday, with most of the population heading for the hills after rumors of an imminent major earthquake and subsequent tsunami broke.
Meanwhile, in neighboring Nias island off North Sumatra, rescue teams continued hunting for survivors trapped beneath the debris although hopes were dwindling four days after the 8.7- magnitude quake struck, with many survivors complaining of hunger.
The majority of the 78,000 hungry and terrified Simeuleu islanders left their homes after hearing of an imminent earthquake predicted to be even bigger than Monday's quake, Simeulue district chief Darmili told AFP.
Aftershocks intensified the panic on the island, and most of the residents are now too afraid to return. The death toll remains at 17 there.
UN operations coordinator in the Nias capital of Gunung Sitoli Francois Desruisseaux said the fourth day after such a disaster was critical, and the possibility of finding more survivors was diminishing.
"Most victims who can survive can do so for up to four days. The fourth day is critical," he said, but he added that search and rescue efforts would continue for several more days.
The UN estimated the death toll in Nias to have reached 1,300 on Friday.
After overcoming logistical bottlenecks caused by the damaged airport and roads and stormy seas, equipment, food and medical supplies began pouring into Gunung Sitoli, which has become a teeming hub for aid distribution.
Boats were lining up in the city's harbor to unload trucks, lifting equipment, food, water, tents and other supplies.
A ship carrying 350 metric tons of food including, rice, cooking oil and fish was unloaded late on Thursday. French Red Cross teams arrived with water purification kits, bottled water and generators.
The World Food Programme deployed a ship to the island on Friday with 100 tons of food, 4,000 tents and water sanitation equipment, while two more ships, with a combined load of 220 tons of non-food aid, were also headed for the island.
Despite army engineers' efforts, most of the roads on Nias remained blocked to ordinary vehicles, while gasoline was in short supply, complicating efforts to move food and medicine beyond Gunung Sitoli.
Such a situation means many are still without food and medical assistance, even a short distance outside the main city.
"It's difficult to find water, difficult to eat. I had to seek refuge in the hills for two nights," said Marian Amri, a 26-year- old mother of three who was trying to leave the Nias port of Gunung Sitoli with her family.
Emergency repairs to the airstrip on Nias allowed small commercial flights to resume operations on Friday and were expected to help speed up relief, which has until now relied on a helicopter lifeline and slow sea traffic.
The port of Sibolga on mainland Sumatra, which has been used to transfer supplies, is jammed as aid groups scramble to load supplies onto its sole daily passenger ship to Nias.
Gunung Sitoli was still largely without water and electricity and in desperate need of heavy-lifting equipment to search through the rubble for survivors and bodies.