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Earthquake Magnitude 7.6 : Southern Sumatra Indonesia

Date             Wednesday, September 30, 2009 at 10:16:09 UTC
Location       0.789°S, 99.961°E
Depth           80 km (49.7 miles) set by location program
Region         SOUTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA
Distances    45 km (30 miles) WNW of Padang, Sumatra, Indonesia
                    220 km (135 miles) SW of Pekanbaru, Sumatra, Indonesia
                    475 km (295 miles) SSW of KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia
                    960 km (590 miles) NW of JAKARTA, Java, Indonesia

7.6 quake hits Sumatra, sections of Padang cut off

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 30 September, 2009 : - - At least 75 people are dead and thousands are trapped under rubble after a strong earthquake shook the island of Sumatra, officials say. The epicentre of the 7.6-magnitude quake was about 50km (30 miles) off the coast of the Indonesian island, near the city of Padang.

There are reports of widespread destruction to buildings and bridges. It comes hours after a tsunami triggered by a separate South Pacific quake killed more than 100 people.  A tsunami watch issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in the wake of the Indonesian quake has been lifted.

Aid 'on the way'

Vice-President Jusuf Kalla said the death toll was likely to continue to rise sharply, as so many buildings including schools, shops and hotels had collapsed. Rustam Pakaya, head of the health ministry's crisis centre, said a hospital was among the collapsed buildings.  At least six rescue teams were on their way to Padang, capital of West Sumatra province, from neighbouring provinces, he said, but would not arrive for at least 10 hours.

Damaged buildings in Padang : photos Reuters

Local media reported the roof of the city's airport had also collapsed.  Mukhlis Rahman, mayor of the Pariaman District, one of the worst hit areas, said the weather was hindering efforts to clear up after the disaster.  ''The quake was followed by a very heavy rain. Many houses and some building are flattened in my area. But I cannot yet verify too much. We will try to compile the data and distribute aid once the rain subsides,'' he told the BBC.

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Read the Full Article at BBC News

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Source : BBC News

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