ACEH PROVINCE, Indonesia (Reuters) — Intensive efforts to search for possible survivors continued in Indonesia on Thursday (December 8), after a deadly quake in Aceh the previous day.
The magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck on early hours of Wednesday (December 7) and killed at least 102 people, according to the National Disaster Management Agency.
Pidie Jaya regency, located on the east coast of Aceh province in northern Indonesia, was the worst hit area.
Search teams formed by the military and police forces were seen looking for possible survivors on top of the rubble of what used to be a local market.
A shop owner whose store is now buried underneath the flattened building said at least 22 people were found dead.
Local media reported that there was a shortage of equipment and medical supplies, while local hospitals were struggling to cope with the influx of injured victims.
More than 1,000 personnel, including military officers and volunteers, were deployed to help in disaster relief, the national disaster agency said.
Aceh was the worst hit area in the 2004 boxing day earthquake and tsunami, with more than 120,000 people killed.