INTERNATIONAL NEWS - At least 25 people were killed and dozens were missing after a magnitude 6.4 earthquake hit the northern Indonesian province of Aceh on Wednesday, officials said, collapsing buildings and sending panicked residents fleeing into the streets.
Indonesian search and rescue teams used earth movers to clear rubble and reach what authorities believed were dozens of victims trapped underneath.
“Search and rescue teams have found 25 dead victims and 26 seriously injured,” Sutopo Nugroho of the national disaster management agency said in a statement.
Khairul Nova, an official at the Aceh search and rescue agency, said: “Dozens are missing but we don’t have accurate data on the total yet.”
Aceh, on the northern tip of Sumatra island, was devastated by a massive earthquake and tsunami centred on its western coast near the provincial capital, Banda Aceh, on 26 December, 2004.
Wednesday’s quake hit the east coast of the province, about 170 km from Banda Aceh.
