Sumatra Double Earthquakes
FEWW Moderators believe it’s highly probable that another 2 or more strong to powerful quakes could strike the region in the coming days. Padang and other coastal towns in Sumatra and Java must also prepare for a possible tsunami.
At least 1,200 bodies have been recovered following widespread damage after a magnitude 7.9 quake struck southern Sumatra, Indonesia, on Wednesday, according to the officials.
The Death Toll Could Reach Many Thousands
There are no reports of deaths from the 6.8 magnitude quake that struck southern Sumatra on Thursday. However. a local radio station reported that a dozen 12 people had been injured and up to 75 building damaged in the town of Jambi.
“People are trapped and screaming for help but they are below huge slabs which will take heavy equipment to move,” an aid worker said.
“I saw dozens of the biggest buildings collapsed in town. Most of the damage is concentrated in the commercial center market, which was fully packed,” he said.
Images that will be repeated throughout the world, again, and again
Residents stand near the bodies of earthquake victims at a hospital in Padang on Indonesia’s Sumatra
island October 1, 2009. REUTERS/Muhammad Fitrah/Singgalang Newspaper
Regional Economy
West Sumatra, a major producer of crude palm oil, is also affected economically.
Indonesia’s finance minister Sri Mulyani said: “This region has been damaged seriously, including its infrastructure,” adding that her government has allocated $25 million over two month for emergency operations.
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