At least 25 dead as powerful earthquake hits Indonesia (local time: 05:03, Depth 10 km)

At least 25 people have died and dozens were feared trapped in rubble after a strong earthquake struck off Aceh province on Indonesia's Sumatra island, officials and local media said.


The chief of the district nearest the epicenter of the shallow 6.5-magnitude undersea quake, that hit early on Wednesday, said that 25 people have been killed in his district alone.

Pidie Jaya district chief Aiyub Abbas also said that hundreds of people in the district had been injured and dozens of buildings had collapsed.

There was an urgent need for excavation equipment to move heavy debris and emergency supplies, Abbas said.

Said Mulyadi, deputy district chief of Pidie Jaya, told the AFP news agency that seven children were among the dead, with a local hospital overwhelmed by the number of people arriving with injuries.

"The hospital here couldn't take the patients, so we sent some to the neighbouring district," he said.

The quake struck at dawn, as some in the predominantly Muslim region prepared for morning prayers.
 aljazeera.com
7/12/16
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• Magnitude Mw 6.5

Region NORTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA
Date time 2016-12-06 22:03:33.6 UTC
Location 5.35 N ; 96.12 E

Depth 10 km

Distances:
344 km NW of Medan, Indonesia / pop: 1,751,000 / local time: 05:03:33.6 2016-12-07
91 km E of Banda Aceh, Indonesia / pop: 251,000 / local time: 05:03:33.6 2016-12-07
18 km E of Sigli, Indonesia / pop: 17,600 / local time: 05:03:33.6 2016-12-07
 emsc-csem.org
7/12/16
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