Indonesia Hit By A Quake: Search And Rescue Ongoing

Soldiers, rescue workers and police explored the debris of a devastated town in Indonesia's Aceh province last Thursday as they resumed a probe for earthquake survivors. It was halted at night by rain and blackouts. It was more than 100 people who have died within the shallow and powerful quake that affected northeast Sumatra before dawn last Wednesday. Hundreds were greatly injured and dozens of buildings were destroyed.

So far the worst destruction seems to be in Pidie Jaya district, which was close to the epicenter. However, assessments of the region is still on ongoing. Scores of rescue personnel were traveling over a market in Meureudu, the hard-hit city, where several shop houses have been destroyed.

Hajj Yusri Abdullah, a shop owener, did not hold out a lot of hope of finding survivors. He stated that nearly two dozen of bodies were found from under the market debris the day before. They enclosed a bunch of eight, composed of a newlywed couple and family members that were holding an ornate celebration, which is also known as Antar Dara Baro.

According to Yahoo, some folks spent the night outdoors, whereas thousands of others took refuge in mosques and temporary shelters. Many were homeless once the magnitude 6.4 quake destroyed and devastated their homes, resulting to others to be scared to return homes.

Killer quakes occur often within the region, where several people had the terrifying memory of an enormous quake on Dec. 26, 2004. It was the earthquake that affected off Sumatra. The magnitude 9.1 quake triggered a devastating wave or tsunami that killed over 100,000 Acehnese, according to ABC News.

Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency's spokesperson said that the death toll had increased to 102, spreading across three districts in northern Aceh, however, focused in Pidie Jaya. Aceh's disaster mitigation agency said that over 8,000 displaced persons were at several shelters within the district.

The Indonesian government has declared a two-week emergency period in Aceh and a few aids were already reaching hard-hit areas. Humanitarian organization CARE said that it was leading a joint assessment mission of four international aid organizations.