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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
(about 2 hours later)
Many buildings have been flattened and at least 52 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. Many buildings have been flattened and almost 100 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.
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.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.
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.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. 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. The death toll began at 25 and continued to rise throughout Wednesday. At 4pm local time, Aceh army chief Major General Tatang Sulaiman said the toll had jumped to 97 as more bodies were pulled from the rubble.
After an initial death toll of 25, the agency's Sutopo Nugroho in a statement that at least 52 had died and more than 70 people were seriously injured. Indonesian search and rescue teams used earth movers to clear debris, pulling at least four people out of the wreckage alive.
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." Maj Gen Sulaiman said another "four or five" remained under the rubble, though it was unclear whether they were alive or dead. "Hopefully we would be able to finish the evacuation from the rubble before sunset," he said. 
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. Earlier 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."
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. 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.
"The earthquake was felt strongly and many people panicked and rushed outdoors as houses collapsed," Nugroho said. 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.
"The earthquake was felt strongly and many people panicked and rushed outdoors as houses collapsed," said Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.
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.
More than 200 shops and houses were either severely flattened or destroyed by the quake, officials said, and classes for some 10,000 schoolchildren were disrupted.
In addition, some 14 mosques collapsed and one hospital was damaged, Nugroho told a news conference.
Many residents feared a repeat of the devastating 2004 quake and subsequent tsunami. Fitri Abidin, a woman who lives on the coast in the worst-hit epicentre of the Pidie Jaya district, told the Reuters news agency she fled with her husband and children after the quake jolted the family awake early Wednesday. 
They stayed on higher ground for several hours until authorities reassured them there was no tsunami risk. 
She said: "It terrified me. I was having difficulty breathing or walking. We ran to a nearby hill, because our house is near a beach. We were afraid a tsunami can come at any time." 
Additional reporting by agenciesAdditional reporting by agencies