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Search Underway For Quake Victims in Indonesia
Indonesian police and soldiers joined civilians in the search for survivors amid the debris of Sunday's strong earthquake which left Bengkulu in ruins, the Jakarta Post reported Wednesday.
The death toll of the quake, measuring at 7.9 on the Richter Scale, rose to 103 on Tuesday and local authorities said they expected the number of casualties to climb further. More than 500 people had been injured by the quake.
According to the Meteorological Office here, more than 500 light tremors have been recorded since the temblor hit although only 22 could be felt by people. The after-temblors were going down in magnitude but they would continue through the week and expected to vanish only in two or three weeks' time.
The situation in Bengkulu province on Sumatra island would possibly return to normal only after the aftershocks had stopped, said Suharjono, the office's coordinator for national earthquakes' monitoring.
It was reported that the earthquake has damaged thousands of houses in the province, with financial losses estimated at 30 billion rupiah (about 3.8 million U.S. dollars).
People began to face scarcity of clean water and fuel oil. The authorities had to cut-off power in Bengkulu city as 70 percent of its power installations was seriously damaged.
Fearing further tremors, most people living in Bengkulu and the surrounding areas spent the night outside their homes in makeshift tents and shelters.
Bengkulu Governor Hasan Zein has said the hardest hit region is the island of Enggano where about 90 percent of structures were damaged. Telephone lines in the island had been cut off, prompting the authorities to send two naval boats to the island. Enggano lies close to the earthquake's epicenter and is home to 1,500 people.
Relief supplies, including food and medicine, began to trickle in after an international appeal for aid was issued on Tuesday morning. Teams of doctors were also racing to reach the area.
Acting Coordinating Minister for Political Affairs and Security Surjadi Soedirdja said that he would coordinate with the military to airdrop medical aid, probably by helicopter.
"Relief could come too late because the airport and the sea port are both damaged so it may hinder the handling of aid. Although medical aid is highly urgent, its dispatch has been hindered ," he said.
The minister also appealed for help from around the world. The international community has been quick to respond.
Japan announced a 14.99 million yen (140,000 U.S. dollars) emergency grant to help survivors of the Bengkulu quake. A 19-member Japanese medical team will be dispatched on Wednesday, with medicine and medical equipment, for a two-week stay.
Singapore announced it would join relief efforts in Bengkulu.A 20-member Singapore Armed Forces medical team, together with emergency supplies and tents worth 29,000 U.S. dollars, was airlifted on Tuesday to Bengkulu.
Thailand also announced it would donate 20,000 U.S. dollars through Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare and Poverty Eradication Basri Hasanuddin to help those most affected by the earthquake.
U.S. President Bill Clinton Tuesday pledged emergency assistance to Indonesia.
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