Rescuers inspect the damage after an earthquake struck Pidie Jaya on Friday in Aceh
Thousands of people are homeless or afraid to return to their homes
Humanitarian organizations descended on Indonesia's Aceh province on Thursday as the government in Jakarta promised tons of emergency aid and officials raced to assess the full extent of damage from an earthquake that killed more than 100 people
Search efforts involving volunteers and nearly 1,500 rescue personnel were concentrated on the hard-hit town of Meureudu in Pidie Jaya district near the epicenter of the magnitude-6.5 quake that hit before dawn on Wednesday
Humanitarian assessment teams were fanning out to other areas of the district
National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said the death toll had risen to 102 and warned it could increase
Search teams were using devices that detect mobile phone signals with a 100-meter radius to help guide their efforts as they scoured the rubble
Aceh's disaster mitigation agency said more than 750 people were injured
Those killed included very young children and the elderly
granddaughter and grandson died in the quake but he was resigned to it as "God's will"
He was getting ready for morning prayers when the earthquake hit
He said he and his wife managed to push their way out through the debris
Thousands of people are homeless or afraid to return to their homes
Officials in Aceh said more than 8,000 people spent Wednesday night in shelters in Pidie Jaya district alone
Killer quakes occur regularly in the region
where many live with the terrifying memory of a giant Dec 26
The magnitude-9.1 quake triggered a devastating tsunami that killed more than 100,000 Acehnese
The Indonesian government said its urgent aid would be flown out of Jakarta on Thursday afternoon and will include 10 generators
It will take at least two more days before there's a fuller picture of how many people are displaced and the relief effort required
Indonesia is prone to earthquakes due to its location on the Pacific "Ring of Fire"
an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin
The 2004 quake and tsunami killed a total of 230,000 people in a dozen countries
Scores of rescuers crawled over a market in Meureudu
didn't hold out much hope of finding survivors
He said nearly two dozen bodies were pulled from the market debris the day before
They included a group of eight made up of a newlywed couple and family members holding an ornate celebration known as Antar Dara Baro
Frantic rescue underway after Indonesia earthquakeAssociated PressMEUREUDU
Indonesia — A strong earthquake rocked Indonesia’s Aceh province early Wednesday
killing nearly 100 people and sparking a frantic rescue effort in the rubble of dozens of collapsed and damaged buildings
said at least 97 died while four people were pulled from the rubble alive
Another four or five are known to be buried
but he didn’t say if they were dead or alive
The Indonesian government declared a two-week emergency period in Aceh
The rescue effort involving thousands of search officials
soldiers and police is concentrated on Meureudu
a severely affected town in Pidie Jaya district near the epicenter
Excavators were trying to remove debris from shop houses and other buildings where people were believed buried
TV footage showed rescuers in orange uniforms shining flashlights into the interiors of broken buildings as they searched for signs of life
The province’s disaster mitigation agency said more than 600 people were injured
The national disaster agency said some 245 buildings were seriously damaged or destroyed
The rest were mainly dwellings and shop houses
Roads also cracked and power poles toppled over
Geological Survey said the 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck at 5:03 a.m
and was centered about 12 miles southeast of Sigli
The agency had initially placed the epicenter undersea
the quake was a terrifying reminder of their region’s vulnerability to natural disasters
More than 100,000 died in Aceh after a Dec
earthquake triggered a devastating tsunami
the tremors felt even stronger than the 2004 earthquake,” said Musman Aziz
said there was urgent need for emergency supplies and excavation equipment to move heavy debris
Footage showed rescue personnel taking bodies in black bags away from the rubble
director of the general hospital in Pidie Jaya
said the facility was overwhelmed with the numbers of injured and many people were being treated in tents pitched on its grounds
He said five of the quake victims died at the hospital
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said he had ordered all government agencies to take part in the rescue efforts for Aceh
a conservative province that has considerable autonomy from the central government under a peace deal with separatists
Indonesian Red Cross deployed emergency response teams and advertised bank accounts for donations
said five water trucks have been sent into the quake area
The International Organization for Migration said it sent an assessment team to Aceh
Seaside resident Fitri Abidin in Pidie Jaya said she fled with her husband and wailing children to a nearby hill after the quake jolted the family awake
They stayed there for several hours until authorities reassured them there was no tsunami risk
I was having difficulty breathing or walking,” Abidin said
She said her husband grabbed hold of her and carried her out of the house
The family’s house didn’t collapse but the homes of some neighbors did and Abidin is afraid three friends were buried in the rubble
In Pidie Jaya’s neighboring district of Bireuen
a teacher at an Islamic school died after being hit by falling debris
Indonesia is prone to earthquakes due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake that rocked Indonesia’s island of Sumatra this week has left tens of thousands homeless
The quake killed more than 100 people and injured hundreds more on Wednesday
damaging or toppling more than 11,000 buildings and displacing more than 45,000 people in the northern province of Aceh
according to the country’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency
“The basic needs of refugees must be met during the evacuation,” the agency said in statement
A woman and her child stay in temporary shelter at a mosque following this week’s strong earthquake in Meureudu
In an interview with the PBS NewsHour this week
Reuters correspondent Kanupriya Kapoor described buildings several stories tall that were completely flattened
“What we saw was pretty widespread destruction in urban centers,” she said
“More recently we heard that more supplies are starting to stream in.”
Rescue workers continue digging through rubble searching for survivors in the town of Meureudu and several other locations
“We believe we have found 99 percent of the victims,” said Sutopo Nugroho, a spokesman for national disaster management agency told Reuters
The government in Aceh has declared a two-week state of emergency while Indonesian President Joko Widodo met with survivors
many of whom were treated in makeshift medical tents
The quake struck Pidie Jaya in the Aceh region
an area devastated by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and subsequent tsunami that killed more than 120,000 people there
Women look out from a tent while waiting for Indonesian President Joko Widodo to walk by on the grounds of a collapsed mosque following this week’s earthquake in Pidie Jaya
People prepare to spend the night in a makeshift outdoor shelter following a strong earthquake near Meureudu
A boy carrying an aid package leaves a temporary shelter at a mosque following this week’s strong earthquake in Meureudu
Men look for items to salvage from a building which collapsed following this week’s strong earthquake in Pidie Jaya
Regan is a senior digital editor for PBS NewsHour
© 1996 - 2025 NewsHour Productions LLC
PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization
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MEUREUDU (Indonesia) — Humanitarian organisations descended on Indonesia’s Aceh province yesterday as the local disaster agency called for urgent food supplies and officials raced to assess the full extent of damage from an earthquake that has killed more than 100 people
Lieutenant-Colonel Ng Geok Meng (second from left) and Major Stuart Koh (right)
with their colleagues at Changi Airport before leaving for Aceh
The duo are part of a regional emergency response and assessment team which will help determine critical resources needed
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‘We have to move faster to search and rescue possible survivors,’ says one official
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Humanitarian organisations descended on Indonesia’s Aceh province on Thursday as the local disaster agency called for urgent food supplies and officials raced to assess the full extent of damage from an earthquake that killed more than 100 people.
Volunteers and nearly 1,500 rescue personnel concentrated their search on the hard-hit town of Meureudu, in Pidie Jaya district, near the epicentre of the magnitude 6.5 quake that hit before dawn on Wednesday. But the small number of heavy excavators on the scene meant progress was slow. Humanitarian assessment teams fanned out to other areas of the district.
National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said the death toll had risen to 102 and warned it could increase. Search teams were using devices that detect mobile phone signals within a 100-metre radius to help guide their efforts as they scoured the rubble. The disaster agency said more than 750 people were injured.
“We have to move faster to search and rescue possible survivors,” said Iskander Ali, a Pidie Jaya official.
Those killed included very young children and the elderly. Mohammad Jafar, 60, said his daughter, granddaughter and grandson died in the quake but he was resigned to it as “God’s will”.
He was getting ready for morning prayers when the earthquake hit. He said he and his wife managed to push their way out through the debris. Another man said he found his 9-year-old daughter alive beneath a broken wall at his neighbour’s house.
Thousands of people are homeless or afraid to return to their houses. Mr Nugroho said more than 11,000 people have been displaced and are staying at shelters and mosques or with relatives. About 10,500 homes were damaged and dozens of mosques and shop houses collapsed.
Killer quakes occur regularly in the region, where many live with the terrifying memory of the giant 2004 earthquake that struck off Sumatra on 26 December. The magnitude-9.1 quake triggered a devastating tsunami that killed more than 100,000 Acehnese.
Sulaiman, an NDMA official in Aceh, said foodstuffs for women and babies are most urgently needed, although medicines are in sufficient supply because assistance is coming from the army, police, state-run companies and local governments.
“What’s badly needed now are staple foods such as rice, cooking oil, salted fish and other foods,” said Sulaiman. He said people had complained about a lack of clean water, but the problem has been tackled and electricity supply is returning to normal in many areas.
Mr Nugroho, at a news conference in Jakarta, listed as urgent food and clothing, specialist doctors for victims suffering fractures, medical equipment, temporary shelters and heavy excavation equipment.
The Indonesian government sent 50 tons of urgent aid to Aceh, including 10 generators, tents, folding beds, baby supplies and body bags.
“Every aid and civil society organisation is piling into the area with as many boxes of rice, instant noodles, blankets and other aid as they can shift,” said Paul Dillon, a spokesman for the International Organization for Migration, which has an assessment team in northern Aceh.
It will take at least two more days before there’s a fuller picture of how many people are displaced, he said.
The military is setting up an emergency field hospital and sending two dozen doctors, and the Health Ministry is sending a medical team and medicines. The Red Cross sent aid such as water trucks on Wednesday and humanitarian group CARE is leading an assessment team of four international aid groups to avoid duplication of efforts. Aid groups and others are also appealing for donations.
Pope Francis, who was speaking at St. Peter’s Square to mark the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, said he wanted people to know he was praying for the victims of the earthquake, their loved ones and those left homeless.
The US Geological Survey said the earthquake was centred about 12 miles south-east of Sigli, a town near the northern tip of Sumatra, at a depth of 11 miles. It did not generate a tsunami. Aftershocks have rattled the area.
The world’s largest archipelago, Indonesia is prone to earthquakes due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin. The 2004 quake and tsunami killed a total of 230,000 people in a dozen countries, most of them in Aceh.
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