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Death Toll Reaches 103 in Earthquake in Indonesia
The death toll in a powerful earthquake in Bengkulu province on Sumatra island, Indonesia, has reached 103 people and leaving more than 500 injured, according the reports reaching Jakarta Tuesday.
The reports quoted local officials as saying that the number of casualties will rise further as the rescue teams and the local people are still digging out bodies from ruined buildings.
The quake measuring 7.9 on the Richter Scale hit Bengkulu at 23:28 local time on Sunday night when most residents were sleeping.
The epicenter of the quake was located 112 kilometers from Bengkulu and more than 200 aftershocks were recorded following the earthquake.
The central government has sent several rescue teams to Bengkulu and some other places on the western Sumatra coast. The Navy had also sent two warships to the area with basic goods and medicines.
But the rescue efforts were being hampered by the lack of electricity, and cut of water supplies as well as public transport disrupted.
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