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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

Updates 02/10/2009 | Eyewitness surfer accounts from Padang Earthquake            (click here)
                                     (Martin Daly (Aus) & Graeme De Hass (S Afr) phone reports)           (click here) 
                                   | Quake on same fault line as tremor before 2004 tsunami...    (click here)
                                   | Pitstop Surf Camp reports in, okay with minor damage..   .    (click here)
                                   | Rick Cameron/Mentawai Sanctuary helping US Aid group  .    (click here)
                                   | Aussies Josh Symon, Andrew Bevan, Chris Scurrah OK..   .   (click here)
                                   | Koby Abberton, Bruce Irons, Jason Childs OK in Padang         (click here) 
                                   | Hopes fade for 100s trapped under collapsed buildings          (click here)

NEWS - 02/10/2009 : Indonesia earthquake death-toll passes 1,100

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 02 October, 2009 : - - At least 1,000 people have died in the earthquake that struck Sumatra on Wednesday, the UN humanitarian chief said. John Holmes said many hundreds more had been injured, and both figures were set to rise further. Almost 3,000 people are still trapped under rubble officials said.

More than 1,000 people are known to have died and the chances of finding survivors are growing slimmer. Rescue teams from several countries are heading to the Indonesian city of Padang in a last push to save lives.  Some were focused on a hotel where as many as eight people may still be alive, and where noises were heard. As night fell, rescuers said they were close to a room where a seminar was being held when the quake struck.

Voices were heard from under the rubble earlier, and a newly-arrived Swiss rescue team said it had picked up frantic knocking sounds using sophisticated audio equipment. Full report at BBC News

The quake struck on Wednesday 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. 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. 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.  

The Ambacang hotel in Padang was reportedly packed with guests when the quake struck.
photo: Toby Zerna
 

NEWS - 01/10/2009 : Surfers and Surf Travel Industry personnel in Indonesian earthquake zone..

Updates 01/10/2009 | Sean Murphy of Waterways Surf Travel was in Indonesia .  ...   (click here)
                                   | Anxious wait for news of Australian surfer in Indonesia ...||  .   (click here)
                                   | Two Tracks mag employees feared dead in quake located.      (click here)
                                   | Surf-Aid director Dr David Lange narrowly escapes death ..||     (click here)
                                   | SurfAid launches Emergency Response Appeal for quake        (click here)
                                   | Grave fears held for Australians surfing above the quake.        (click here)
                                   | 10 Gold Coast surfers in Indo earthquake may be missing        (click here)
                                   | Earthquake Update from Chris 'Scuzz' at Sumatran Surfariis     (click here)
                                   | Martin Daly/Indies Trader reports on damage from his boat      (click here)


Update  01/10/2009 : Indonesia death toll soars past 400 after a second earthquake  

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 01 October, 2009 : - - Another strong earthquake rocked Indonesia early Thursday as the Southeast Asian nation was reeling from an earlier jolt that killed more than 400 people and caused widespread destruction. The 6.8 magnitude quake Thursday hit South Sumatra at 8:52 a.m. local time (9:52 p.m. Wednesday ET), about 89 miles (143 kilometers) from Bengkulu. The earlier quake Wednesday was 7.6 magnitude. (Full report here)

News 30/09/2009 : 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.

Check the Video Report

Read the Full Article at BBC News

Damaged buildings in Padang : photos Reuters

Related Stories:
# 1 : Red Cross: Indonesia quake death toll reaches 75
# 2 : Indonesia quake kills 75, thousands trapped
# 3 : Powerful Indonesia quake kills 75, traps thousands
# 4 : Anxious wait for news of Australian surfer in Indonesia

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