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Race to save Sumatra quake buried Indonesia awaits world quake aid
(about 2 hours later)
Rescue teams are struggling to dig survivors buried under rubble following a devastating earthquake on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. International rescue teams are heading to Indonesia in a last-ditch effort to free trapped earthquake survivors.
Many people are thought to be trapped under rubble after the 7.6-magnitude quake struck on Wednesday. British and Australian experts were en route to Sumatra, hit by a 7.6-magnitude quake two days ago. Others pledged cash as Indonesia sought aid.
The death toll already stands at more than 1,000, according to the UN, and officials say they expect it to rise. More than 1,000 people are already known to have died, the UN says, with the final death toll likely to rise.
On Friday, Indonesian Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari appealed for foreign aid to help the rescue effort. But one survivor was found on Friday: a young woman pulled, barely conscious, from within a collapsed school.
"We need help from foreign countries for evacuation efforts," AFP news agency quoted her as saying. AT THE SCENE Rachel Harvey, BBC News, Padang
"We need them to provide skilled rescuers with equipment. Our main problem is that there are a lot of victims still trapped in the rubble. We are struggling to pull them out." Heavy diggers move across piles of rubble, slowly shifting the debris. Piledrivers are being used to break up slabs of concrete, and alongside the machinery men pick their way carefully, looking and listening for any sign of life.
The quake struck close to the city of Padang, the capital of West Sumatra province, bringing scores of buildings crashing to the ground. They've not yet given up hope here, but the chances of finding anyone else alive must now be fading. Many hundreds of bodies are known to be trapped beneath collapsed buildings, including up to 60 children who were taking part in after school lessons when the earthquake struck.
AT THE SCENE Karishma Vaswani, BBC News, Padang In the grounds of the main hospital some of the injured are being treated in tents because the wards are full. One surgeon told me there was a desperate need for clean water to maintain levels of hygiene.
Heavy equipment is slowly trickling in. The Indonesian government is trying to send as much aid as it possibly can, as quickly as it can. The rescue of Ratna Kurnia Sari was a boost to emergency workers in Padang, who were enduring tough conditions as they scrambled to reach those who remain trapped.
But rescue efforts have been hampered by the fact that communication lines have been down, the electricity is not completely back up and running, and it is very difficult for rescue workers to assess where they should start. Overnight, rescue workers rigged up floodlights and brought in a giant excavator as they tried to find students trapped beneath the collapsed three-storey school.
There are so many different places where they have got to try to work against the clock. Trying to save people over the past two days has been very challenging for them - they have had to use their hands, manually clawing people out of the rubble through the rock and the mud. The Jakarta Post reported that 60 children were in the school when it collapsed.
The heavy equipment and machinery is trickling in but it is nowhere near enough. One rescue team leader, known as Suria, said hope was fading for many of those still buried.
Overnight, rescue workers rigged up floodlights and brought in a giant excavator as they tried to find students trapped beneath a collapsed three-storey school. "We have pulled out 38 children since the quake. Some of them, on the first day, were still alive, but the last few have all been dead," she told the Reuters news agency.
The Jakarta Post reported that 60 children were in the building when it collapsed. Part of Padang's main hospital collapsed in the quake and a makeshift open air morgue has been set up to take the growing number of yellow body bags.
Police said on Thursday that nine children had been found alive but that eight bodies had also been pulled from the rubble so far. Operations were being performed in nearby white tents, doctors said.
Part of Padang's main hospital also collapsed and a makeshift open air morgue has been set up to take the growing number of yellow body bags.
Operations were being performed in nearby white tents.
"We have done hundreds of operations since the earthquake," said Dr Nofli Ichlas."We have done hundreds of operations since the earthquake," said Dr Nofli Ichlas.
"Some broken bones, some with limbs completely cut off. Fractured skulls, abdominal trauma too.""Some broken bones, some with limbs completely cut off. Fractured skulls, abdominal trauma too."
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono flew to the region after arriving back from the G20 summit on Thursday and stayed overnight to help oversee the rescue. Advertisement
Access 'difficult' A woman is pulled out alive two days after the earthquake struck Padang
The BBC's Alastair Leithead in Sumatra says the main airport has re-opened and aid supplies and rescue teams have been arriving. International 'lifeline'
MAJOR INDONESIAN QUAKES 26 Dec 2004: Asian tsunami kills 170,000 in Indonesia alone28 March 2005: About 1,300 killed after a magnitude 8.7 quake hits the coast of Sumatra27 May 2006: Quake hits ancient city of Yogyakarta, killing 5,00017 July 2006: A tsunami after a 7.7 magnitude quake in West Java province kills 550 people30 Sept 2009: 7.6 magnitude quake near Sumatran city of Padang, thousands feared dead1 Oct 2009: Second of two quakes near Padang, magnitude 6.8 - no damage or casualties reported class="" href="/2/hi/asia-pacific/8285986.stm">Padang's race against time class="" href="/2/hi/asia-pacific/8284924.stm">Eyewitness: Sumatra earthquake class="" href="/2/hi/in_pictures/8284074.stm">In pictures: Indonesian quake class="" href="/2/hi/uk_news/8285409.stm">UK rescue team flies to Indonesia As the rescue efforts continued, Indonesian Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari appealed for foreign aid to help the rescue effort.
Yenni Suriyani, of the Catholic Relief Services, told the BBC that her organisation already had one team in the area and hoped to send more rescuers over the weekend. She called in particular for skilled rescuers with specialised equipment to penetrate the unstable rubble.
"They've seen many people trapped under the collapsed buildings and many buildings also - including schools and office buildings - already collapsed," she said. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono flew to the region after arriving back from the G20 summit on Thursday and stayed overnight to help oversee the rescue.
"We could not get (to) all of the target area yet because in some areas the access is still difficult." MAJOR INDONESIAN QUAKES 26 Dec 2004: Asian tsunami kills 170,000 in Indonesia alone28 March 2005: About 1,300 killed after a magnitude 8.7 quake hits the coast of Sumatra27 May 2006: Quake hits ancient city of Yogyakarta, killing 5,00017 July 2006: A tsunami after a 7.7 magnitude quake in West Java province kills 550 people30 Sept 2009: 7.6 magnitude quake near Sumatran city of Padang, thousands feared dead1 Oct 2009: Second of two quakes near Padang, magnitude 6.8 - no damage or casualties reported class="" href="/2/hi/asia-pacific/8285986.stm">Padang's race against time class="" href="/2/hi/asia-pacific/8286638.stm">Woman rescued from rubble class="" href="/2/hi/asia-pacific/8284924.stm">Eyewitness: Sumatra earthquake class="" href="/2/hi/uk_news/8285409.stm">UK rescue team flying to Indonesia
Australia's Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said that up to 100 Australians were unaccounted for after the quake, although there was no evidence so far that any had been killed or injured. British firefighters heading to Padang were delayed by technical problems overnight but were poised to fly from London on Friday morning.
Padang is a popular destination for surfers. UK International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander said the 60-strong team would provide a "lifeline" once they arrived in Padang.
"I'm always concerned when we've got potentially 100 Australians whose whereabouts we can't vouchsafe for," he told Australian broadcaster ABC. In Australia, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said a plane carrying engineering and health teams was on its way to Indonesia, with a 44-strong rescue team due to head to Sumatra later on Friday.
Mr Smith said Australia was sending aid supplies and also a search and rescue team, plus 10 engineering specialists. Mr Rudd also said that at least 40 of 100 Australians missing since Wednesday had now been accounted for. Padang is a popular jumping-off point for Australian tourists heading to nearby surf beaches.
Other countries around the world are also sending aid, including the UK, South Korea and Japan. Other nations have also pledged aid to Indonesia, among them China ($500,000; £315,000), South Korea (43-strong rescue team and $500,000), and Germany ($1.5m).
US President Barack Obama, who spent part of his childhood in Indonesia, also pledged to support the recovery effort. US President Barack Obama, who spent some of his childhood in Indonesia, has also promised to support the rescue effort.
The main earthquake struck at 1716 local time (1016 GMT) on Wednesday, some 85km (55 miles) under the sea, north-west of Padang, the US Geological Survey said. The quake struck on Wednesday close to the city of Padang, the capital of West Sumatra province, bringing scores of buildings crashing to the ground.
The main earthquake struck at 1716 local time (1016 GMT), some 85km (55 miles) under the sea, north-west of Padang, the US Geological Survey said.
A second quake of 6.8 struck close to Padang at 0852 local time (0152 GMT) on Thursday causing panic but no reports of casualties or damage.A second quake of 6.8 struck close to Padang at 0852 local time (0152 GMT) on Thursday causing panic but no reports of casualties or damage.
Sumatra lies close to the geological fault line that triggered the 2004 Asian tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people in a dozen countries.Sumatra lies close to the geological fault line that triggered the 2004 Asian tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people in a dozen countries.
Geologists have long warned that Padang - a city of 900,000 people - could one day be completely destroyed by an earthquake because of its location.Geologists have long warned that Padang - a city of 900,000 people - could one day be completely destroyed by an earthquake because of its location.
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