VOA News, October 2
-- Foreign emergency rescue teams are working to reach areas in and around
Indonesia's port city, Padang, which was devastated by a powerful earthquake
Wednesday.
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American Air Force and Indonesian Army members load emergency aid
material into US cargo plane in Jakarta, flying to earthquake-hit
West Sumatra, 02 Oct 2009 |
The United Nations says the death toll from the 7.6 magnitude quake is at
least 1,100. Indonesian officials say at least 770 people have been killed,
but they expect the figure to climb as thousands are still believed buried
beneath rubble.
Medical teams, search dogs, earth-moving equipment and emergency supplies
have been trickling into Padang, the capital of West Sumatra province. Large
areas of Padang were destroyed, but rescue operations in and around the city
have been moving slowly.
On Friday, U.S. President Barack Obama offered his condolences for the
deaths and devastation caused by the earthquake, in a telephone conversation
with Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs says Mr. Obama also reiterated the U.S.
offer to help in the relief operation. President Obama lived in Indonesia
for several years as a child.
A Red Cross official in Indonesia, Christine South, says the situation is
grave, especially in rural areas outside Padang. She says that in addition
to infrastructure damage, some villages may be devastated.
Most of the deaths from the earthquake have been reported in Padang, where
at least 500 buildings were toppled by the quake.
Indonesian Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari has appealed for foreign help
to dig out those who are still trapped.
The United States has pledged $300,000 in immediate aid, plus another $3
million for later.
Indonesia is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the so-called
Pacific Ring of Fire, an arc of volcanos and fault lines encircling the
Pacific Basin. In 2004, a 9.1 magnitude earthquake along the same fault line
caused a tsunami that killed more than 200,000 people in several countries.
