At least 18 reported dead after quake rocks Indonesia

By Ainur Rohmah

TUBAN, Indonesia (AA) - A strong earthquake shook the north of Indonesia’s Sumatra island Wednesday morning, causing dozens of buildings to collapse and reportedly killing at least 18 people.

Said Mulyadi, vice regent of Pidie Jaya Regecy in Aceh province, was quoted by detik.com as saying, “the latest information is 18 people died. Evacuation is still underway."

National Disaster Management Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said in a statement that the earthquake of magnitude 6.5 hit at shallow depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles).

"The earthquake did not trigger a tsunami," he said.

Around 11 a.m. (0400GMT), the chief of Pidie Jaya's disaster management agency, Puteh Manaf, said the death toll in the area had risen to 25, including eight children.

"The death toll could increase because data keeps entering into the post from some districts," he was quoted as saying by acehkita.com.

Amid the trembling, people rushed out of their homes in panic and strong shocks were felt across Pidie Jaya.

"According to an updated report from the local disaster management agency, there are a few houses and buildings that have collapsed," Nugroho said.

Indonesia lies within the Pacific’s "Ring of Fire", where tectonic plates collide and cause frequent seismic and volcanic activity.

In June, a magnitude 6.5 tremor damaged buildings in western Sumatra Island, with its shocks reportedly felt in parts of Singapore and peninsular Malaysia to the north.

On Dec. 26, 2004, a magnitude-9.1 earthquake struck the eastern coast of Sumatra, causing a tsunami that killed around 230,000 people as it tore along the coasts of Sri Lanka, India, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.