Death toll from Indonesia quake rises to 30

By Mahmut Atanur

JAKARTA (AA) - The death toll from a 6.8-magnitude earthquake in Indonesia’s Maluku province rose to 30, local authorities said on Sunday.

A total of 156 people were injured, said Agus Wibowo, acting head of the Information Data Center and Public Relations of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).

Around 25,000 residents were displaced with their homes destroyed.

Authorities declared a state of emergency in the region until Oct. 9, Wibowo said.

The tremor struck off Ambon, the capital city of Maluku province Thursday at 6.48 a.m. (1148GMT Wednesday).

It was centered 40 kilometers (25 miles) northeast of Maluku and 10 km (6 miles) below the earth’s surface, said the country’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency.

An aftershock occurred at 7.39 a.m. (1239GMT) with a magnitude of 5.6.

It also destroyed housing units, educational facilities, places of worship, office buildings and other public facilities.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz