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Indonesia earthquake today: Dozens dead and many missing after quake strikes Aceh province Indonesia earthquake today: Dozens dead and many missing after quake strikes Aceh province
(35 minutes later)
At least 25 people were killed and dozens were missing after a magnitude 6.4 earthquake hit the northern Indonesian province of Aceh, officials have said, collapsing buildings and sending panicked residents fleeing into the streets. Dozens of buildings have been flattened and at least 25 people killed after an undersea earthquake struck off the coast of Aceh province in northern Indonesia, the site of the devastating quake and tsunami in 2004.
Indonesian search and rescue teams used earth movers to clear rubble and reach what authorities believed were dozens of victims trapped underneath. Residents were sent running into the streets after the 6.5-magnitude quake struck at about 5am local time (10pm GMT Tuesday), and remain reluctant to return home amid fears of aftershocks.
"Search and rescue teams have found 25 dead victims and 26 seriously injured," Sutopo Nugroho of the national disaster management agency said in a statement. The US Geological Survey measured the quake at a depth of just 8.2km, 19km south-east of the coastal town of Sigli. Buildings shook in the provincial capital Banda Aceh.
No tsunami warning was issued, but at least five aftershocks were felt in the hours after the initial quake, the Indonesian disaster management agency said.
Indonesian search and rescue teams used earth movers to clear rubble and reach what authorities believed were dozens more victims trapped in the wreckage.
"Search and rescue teams have found 25 dead victims and 26 seriously injured," said the agency's Sutopo Nugroho in a statement.
Khairul Nova, an official at the Aceh search and rescue agency, said: "Dozens are missing but we don't have accurate data on the total yet."Khairul Nova, an official at the Aceh search and rescue agency, said: "Dozens are missing but we don't have accurate data on the total yet."
Aceh, on the northern tip of Sumatra island, was devastated by a massive earthquake and tsunami centred on its western coast near the provincial capital, Banda Aceh, on Dec. 26, 2004. Aceh, on the northern tip of Sumatra island, was devastated by a massive 9.2-magnitude earthquake and tsunami centred on its western coast near the provincial capital, Banda Aceh, on 26 December 2004. More than 120,000 people were killed in Aceh alone.
Wednesday's quake hit the east coast of the province, about 170 km (105 miles) from Banda Aceh. Images on TV and social media on Wednesday morning showed victims being rushed to hospital, flattened buildings and fallen electricity poles, and people gathering outside at street corners.
Images on television and social media showed victims being rushed to hospital, flattened buildings and fallen electricity poles, and people gathering outside at street corners.
"The earthquake was felt strongly and many people panicked and rushed outdoors as houses collapsed," Nugroho said."The earthquake was felt strongly and many people panicked and rushed outdoors as houses collapsed," Nugroho said.
Heavy machinery was being used in the search for victims, said Risky Hidayat, another search and rescue official in Aceh.
A volunteer for the Indonesian Red Crescent in Pidie Jaya regency in Aceh described scenes of heavy damage and said many people had been injured.A volunteer for the Indonesian Red Crescent in Pidie Jaya regency in Aceh described scenes of heavy damage and said many people had been injured.
"There isn't enough medical staff around," the Red Crescent's Muklis, who like many Indonesians uses one name, told TVOne."There isn't enough medical staff around," the Red Crescent's Muklis, who like many Indonesians uses one name, told TVOne.
The United States Geological Survey said the quake struck just after 5 a.m. local time at a depth of 17 km (11 miles) on Aceh's northeastern coast. No tsunami warning was issued. Additional reporting by agencies
At least five aftershocks were felt in the hours after the initial quake, the disaster management agency said.
The region suffered massive destruction in 2004 when a 9.2 magnitude quake triggered a tsunami that wiped out entire communities in Indonesia and other countries around the Indian Ocean.
Indonesia was the hardest hit, with more than 120,000 people killed in Aceh alone.