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Schools open after Sumatra quake Search ends for Sumatra survivors
(about 4 hours later)
Children are returning to makeshift schools and some businesses are reopening in the earthquake-hit Sumatran city of Padang. Officials in the earthquake-hit city of Padang, Indonesia, have called off the search for survivors in the rubble of buildings five days after the disaster.
The focus has turned to bringing aid and medical help to survivors in the city and the surrounding areas.
At least 1,000 people have died and at least 1,000 remain missing after the earthquake struck last Wednesday.At least 1,000 people have died and at least 1,000 remain missing after the earthquake struck last Wednesday.
A BBC correspondent in Padang says a semblance of normality is starting to return to the city.A BBC correspondent in Padang says a semblance of normality is starting to return to the city.
But aid workers say hopes of finding more quake survivors, especially in remote villages, are dim. Children are returning to makeshift schools, and some businesses are reopening in Padang, the capital of West Sumatra.
Foreign rescue workers continue to arrive but heavy rain and collapsed buildings are hindering their work. Disease fears
Seeking normality There have been no survivors rescued from the rubble since Friday, says the BBC's Karishma Vaswani in Padang.
Several hundred schools were among more than 180,000 buildings destroyed or badly damaged by the earthquake, Indonesia's Disaster Management Agency has said. "The effort to find survivors in Padang was stopped last night but they are still going on outside Padang," Priyadi Kardono, the spokesman for Indonesia's disaster management agency, told AFP news agency.
WEST SUMATRA QUAKES First quake struck on Wednesday at 1716 local (1016 GMT) under sea north-west of PadangSecond quake followed on Thursday at 0852 local In pictures: Extent of destruction Aid worker's diary: Visiting clinicWEST SUMATRA QUAKES First quake struck on Wednesday at 1716 local (1016 GMT) under sea north-west of PadangSecond quake followed on Thursday at 0852 local In pictures: Extent of destruction Aid worker's diary: Visiting clinic
International search and rescue teams said they were preparing to head home after agreeing with the Indonesian government that there was no hope of finding more survivors.
"We got here quickly but we haven't found any survivors," said Hiroaki Sano, the head of Japan's disaster rescue team.
"The first 100 hours are crucial," he told AP news agency.
The Indonesian government and international aid agencies are now focusing on rushing aid to communities outside Padang and on preventing outbreaks of disease from dirty water and the many decomposing bodies still buried in collapsed buildings.
"There is concern that dirty water supplies can spread skin disease and other kinds of diseases," said the head of the Health Ministry's crisis centre.
"Flies on dead bodies can also spread bacteria to people," Rustam Pakaya said.
Mass graves
While international aid and relief workers continued to arrive in Padang, residents of outlying communities said they had received little or no help.
"Yesterday all I had to eat was a packet of instant noodles," said Erol, a resident of the village of Pasa Dama outside Padang.
"All of us are hungry. We hear on the radio very nice words that aid is pouring in, but where is it?"
Many roads and bridges in the hills outside Padang have been destroyed by landslides, which have also buried a number of villages.
Rescue teams say they are preparing to return home
One provincial relief official said some villages would be left as mass graves.
"Instead of the extra cost of evacuating the corpses, it's better to allocate the money for the living," Ade Edward, the head of West Sumatra's earthquake co-ordination centre, was quoted by Reuters as telling Indonesian media.
Heavy rain has hampered the delivery of aid to survivors outside Padang and increased the chances of further landslides.
But the BBC's Karishma Vaswani, in Padang, says people in the city are beginning to get on with their lives.But the BBC's Karishma Vaswani, in Padang, says people in the city are beginning to get on with their lives.
On Monday morning, children lined up outside of schools, dressed in their crisp white uniforms, our correspondent says.On Monday morning, children lined up outside of schools, dressed in their crisp white uniforms, our correspondent says.
"The government called for classes to resume as soon as possible so they can create some normalcy," said Amson Simbolon, an education officer for Unicef."The government called for classes to resume as soon as possible so they can create some normalcy," said Amson Simbolon, an education officer for Unicef.
Some shops and businesses were also seen re-opening in the city as work clearing the destruction left by the quake continued.Some shops and businesses were also seen re-opening in the city as work clearing the destruction left by the quake continued.
"The economy is running at 60%. Today students are going to school, and government employees are going to work. It seems we are recovering," said a Padang's provincial government officer, Fauzy Bahar. Several hundred schools were among more than 180,000 buildings destroyed or badly damaged by the earthquake, Indonesia's Disaster Management Agency has said.
"Electricity is running at 60%, petrol supply is 100%. But water supply is still down, at 40%," he estimated as people sought food at local markets. Government minister Aburizal Bakrie estimated it would cost $600m (£375m) to rebuild or repair all the buildings and basic infrastructure damaged by Wednesday's 7.6-magnitude earthquake.
Planeloads of aid are now landing at Padang airport at regular intervals but the challenge is to get the material to where it is needed most, the BBC's South East Asia Correspondent Rachel Harvey reported.
The district of Pariman to the north of Padang has been particularly hard hit. It has only one hospital and is overwhelmed, our correspondent says. Operations are being performed in corridors.
"Most of the injured people are orthopaedic cases, so we are buying time to halt this problem," Dr Jose Rizal Jurnalis, an orthopaedic surgeon, told the BBC.
"We need surgeons, orthopaedic equipment, plates-and-screws, antibiotics, but above all oxygen, and cardiovascular monitors for general anaesthesia.
"It is most important for older patients. Now there is no monitoring equipment available, so we are gambling now," he said.
Dr Jurnalis was critical of the way the earthquake is being managed, saying the army, doctors and rescue workers all lacked a clear chain of command.
He said local villagers were also angry that it had taken so long for help to arrive.
To make matters worse, torrential rain is falling again, making it even harder to reach communities cut off by landslides.
Wednesday's 7.6-magnitude quake struck off the coast of Padang. A second quake of 6.8 struck nearby on Thursday causing panic but no reports of damage or casualties.
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