Indonesia was rocked by two high intensity earthquake this week. According to the The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), about 7.6 magnitude quake struck close to the city of Padang, the capital of West Sumatra province and on Wednesday and about 6.8 magnitude quake hit the southern Sumartra at 8:52 a.m on Thursday.
Dozens to hundreds of homes, buildings, restaurants, hospitals, and a school in Padang have collapsed. The said earthquake caused power and phone outages which makes it difficult for the government to assess the situation. Some of the bridges have gone down, markets were on fire, and the according to the Red Cross disaster management coordinator in Indonesia, Wayne Ulrich, they have closed the airport.
According to John Holmes, UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, the death toll has risen already to 1,100. He said that the quake toll could soar and according to Indonesian Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari said that given the intensity and the spread of the damage it is expected to be bigger than the 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake
Officials in Indonesia said that they will do their best to help the victims. Health ministry teams and Indonesian soldiers have arrived in the city to aid the search for survivors. Relief goods have arrived inlcluding tents and blankets for those who people whose homes are destoyed.
“This is a natural disaster, so let us remain strong in dealing with it.”
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, President of Indonesia
PHOTO CREDIT : rfi.fr
Topics: earthquake, Indonesia, John Holmes, news, Siti Fadilah Supari, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Wayne Ulrich
