INDONESIA:A strong earthquake and a powerful aftershock hit Indonesia's Sumatra island yesterday, killing at least 70 people, and trapping scores more under flattened buildings.
Tremors from the initial 6.3-magnitude earthquake were felt as far away as Malaysia and Singapore, where several buildings were evacuated.
Hospitals in some areas of West Sumatra province were crowded with dozens of injured. Many people have fled their homes and fears of aftershocks pushed authorities in Padang, the West Sumatra provincial capital, to set up emergency tents at a soccer field.
"I thought it was a big vehicle passing through in front of the house," said Misbadi, a 50-year-old Solok resident who broke his right arm.
"I ran out of the house, but I was hit by a collapsing building," said Misbadi who, like many Indonesians, uses only one name.
Television footage showed staff from a hospital rushing out in panic while others wept in fear as tremors shook a building.
Yohannes Dahlan, secretary of the West Sumatra government, said about 200 people had been injured.
Scores of people were believed trapped under rubble, prompting the government to send in the military to assist with rescue efforts. The Red Cross also deployed a rapid response team to assess the damage and needs of victims.
Cabinet secretary Sudi Silalahi told reporters in Jakarta that 70 people had been killed and the military and police were conducting an evacuation.
Residents in three badly hit areas of West Sumatra - Solok, Tanah Datar and Padang Panjang - erected tents outside their damaged homes, moved in with relatives or prepared to spend the night in schools and mosques.
The government and Red Cross distributed food supplies such as cooking oil and rice, tents and medicine and drinking water.
"Our priority is to handle the injured ones, including their families. We have set up six tents at a soccer field as emergency posts," Syamsu Rahim, the mayor of Solok town, said.
"Those whose houses are damaged or destroyed are staying with their neighbours. People are close to one another here," he said, adding that some people had begun returning to their house.
"The evacuation process is going on . . . I cannot predict how many people are still trapped because the process is still on. However, there are many houses collapsed, and I believe that the inhabitants are in them." The first quake of 6.3 magnitude was felt in the West Sumatra provincial capital of Padang at around 11am, sparking panic among seaside residents, who feared it might trigger a tsunami.
The United States geological survey said the first quake's epicentre was around 420km from Singapore. The Indonesian national quake centre measured the quake at 5.8.
A second 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck the same area two hours later, causing more panic.
Padang is one of the few Indonesian cities where a tsunami warning system is in place. A quake in the Indian Ocean off Sumatra island in December 2004 and the tsunami it caused left about 170,000 people dead or missing in northern Aceh province.
"It was really strong. I panicked, I ran out of the house just like the other neighbours," said housewife Asmiarti, whose home is on the northern Padang shore, by phone.
"When we got out, our bodies were still shaking and the trees were also shaking. We feared there would be a tsunami, but there has been no announcement so far," she said.
The quakes did not affect state oil firm Pertamina's Dumai refinery in central Sumatra and caused no significant damage to a plant of Indonesia's largest cement maker, PT Semen Gresik.
Earthquakes are frequent in Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous country. Its 17,000 islands sprawl along a belt of intense volcanic and seismic activity, part of what is called the Pacific Ring of Fire.
The quake was also felt across in Singapore, where tall buildings in the business district swayed slightly. Traders said there was little or no impact on financial markets trading.