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Indonesia earthquake: Rescuers search for survivors

Search for earthquake survivors that was halted at night by rain and blackouts resumed on second day.

Earthquake in Aceh, Indonesia
Rescue teams use heavy equipment to dig through a collapsed building following a strong earthquake in Meureudu market, Pidie Jaya, Aceh province, Indonesia. [Darren Whiteside/Reuters]
Published On 8 Dec 2016

Rescue efforts resumed in Indonesia’s Aceh province on Thursday after a strong earthquake killed more than 100 people, while medical teams struggled to treat the hundreds of injured as supplies trickled slowly into the area.

Wednesday’s 6.5 magnitude quake was the biggest disaster to hit the province on the northern tip of Sumatra island since the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004, which killed more than 120,000 people in Aceh alone.

Traffic congestion around the epicentre in Aceh’s Pidie Jaya regency slowed logistical and medical supplies sent by government agencies and NGOs.

Indonesia‘s national disaster management agency put the death toll at 102 on Thursday, with more than 700 injured and thousands left homeless.

The agency said more than 1,000 personnel, including military officers and volunteers, had been deployed to help in search and rescue operations.

Earthquake in Aceh, Indonesia
A medical officer checks the condition of an injured child at a hospital. [Irwansyah Putra/Antara Foto/Reuters]
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Earthquake in Aceh, Indonesia
People walk near a collapsed mosque following an earthquake in Meureudu, Pidie Jaya, in the northern province of Aceh. [Irwansyah Putra/Antara Foto/Reuters]
Earthquake in Aceh, Indonesia
Indonesian rescuers carry a victim's body. According to the United States Geological Survey, the shallow 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck Aceh province on Sumatra island. No tsunami alert was issued in the wake of the earthquake. [Raihal Fajri/EPA]
Earthquake in Aceh, Indonesia
A woman stands on the ruin of a market the morning after Wednesday's earthquake in Meureudu, Aceh province, Indonesia. [Heri Juanda/AP]
Earthquake in Aceh, Indonesia
Rescuers use heavy machinery to search for survivors under the rubble of a collapsed building. Experts said the quake did more damage than expected because of poorly constructed buildings. [Heri Juanda/AP]
Earthquake in Aceh, Indonesia
A patient is given medical treatment in the corridor of a hospital. [Hotli Simanjuntak/EPA]
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Earthquake in Aceh, Indonesia
A man salvages printed materials from under the rubble of a shop flattened in Wednesday's earthquake at a market in Meureudu. Rescue workers, soldiers and police combed through the rubble of a devastated town in Indonesia's Aceh province early on Thursday, resuming a search for earthquake survivors that was halted at night by rain and blackouts. [Heri Juanda/AP]
Earthquake in Aceh, Indonesia
Earthquake survivors sleep on the ground at a temporary shelter in Ulim. Thousands of people in the Indonesian province of Aceh took refuge for the night in mosques and temporary shelters. [Binsar Bakkara/AP]
Earthquake in Aceh, Indonesia
Injured people receive medical attention at a hospital. Wednesday's quake hit the east coast of the province, about 170km (105 miles) from Banda Aceh, the provincial capital. Aceh's Pidie Jaya regency, with a population of about 140,000, was worst hit. [Irwansyah Putra/Antara Foto/Reuters]