Frantic rescue under way as Aceh quake kills nearly 100 people

MEUREUDU (Indonesia) — A strong earthquake rocked Indonesia’s Aceh province early on Wednesday (Dec 7), killing nearly 100 people and injuring more than 500, and sparking a frantic rescue effort in the rubble of dozens of collapsed and damaged buildings.

Major General Tatang Sulaiman, chief of the army in Aceh province, said at least 97 had died while four people had been pulled from the rubble alive. “When we retrieve bodies sometimes there’s five, sometimes 10 corpses.”

Another four or five people are known to be buried, but he did not say if they were dead or alive. The Aceh provincial government said in a statement more than 500 people were injured, many seriously. The Indonesian military has taken over responsibility for the search and rescue operation.

Medical volunteers rushed in fading evening light to get people to hospitals, which were straining to cope with the influx of  the injured.

Mr Sutopo Nugroho of Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency, or BNPB, said a state of emergency had been declared in Aceh, which sits on the northern tip of Sumatra island. 

“We are now focusing on searching for victims and possible survivors,” he said, adding that President Joko Widodo had ordered a “quick response” to the disaster.

The rescue effort involving thousands of search officials, villagers, soldiers and police are concentrated on Meureudu, a severely affected town in Pidie Jaya district near the epicentre. Excavators were trying to remove debris from shop- houses and other buildings where people were believed buried. TV footage showed rescuers shining flashlights into the interiors of broken buildings as they searched for signs of life.

The BNPB said some 245 buildings were seriously damaged or destroyed, mostly in Pidie Jaya, including 14 mosques. Roads also cracked and power poles toppled over.

The United States Geological Survey said the 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck at 5.03am and was centred about 19km south-east of Sigli, a town near the northern tip of Aceh, at a depth of 17km. No tsunami was generated. For Acehnese, the quake was a terrifying reminder of their region’s vulnerability to natural disasters. More than 100,000 died in Aceh after a Dec 26, 2004, earthquake triggered a devastating tsunami. 

“It was very bad, the tremors felt even stronger than the 2004 earthquake,’’ said Musman Aziz, a Meureudu resident. “I was so scared the tsunami was coming.’’

“The electricity is still off. Some places have generators, but there are not many,” local disaster agency head Puteh Manaf told AFP.

“If it rains there will be disease.”

In the capital, Mr Widodo said he had ordered all government agencies to take part in the rescue efforts. The President is expected to visit the area today, his staff told media.

Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson said Wednesday night that the Republic is “shocked by the tragic loss of lives and serious damage caused by the earthquake that struck Pidie Jaya Regency, Aceh”. 

“The Government of Singapore expresses our deepest condolences to the Government of Indonesia and the families of the victims in this time of grief,” said the spokesperson, adding that the ministry is in touch with the local authorities and Singapore stands ready to assist if required. 

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said in a news release on Wednesday night that it will be deploying two officers to Indonesia as part of a five-man Association of South-east Asian Nations (Asean) Emergency Response and Assessment Team (Erat), under the auspices of the Asean Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre).

The Erat’s primary function is to provide rapid assessment and determine the critical resources required for the areas affected by the earthquake. 

SCDF said the two officers will depart for Indonesia on Thurday and are expected to be there for a week. AGENCIES