A powerful earthquake and numerous aftershocks rocked the Indonesian island of Sumatra, killing 58 people, injuring hundreds and causing widespread panic, officials and local media said yesterday.
Police in Bengkulu province on Sumatra's west coast, the worst affected area, said the death toll was likely to rise considering the magnitude of the earthquake, one of the strongest recorded in the world in the past decade.
The quake measured 7.9 on the Richter scale and struck late on Sunday when most people were asleep. It toppled buildings, cut electricity and water supplies, closed Bengkulu airport and was felt as far away as Jakarta and Singapore.
"So far we have received a report of 58 people dead and more than 200 people injured from the whole of the province," Sgt Edy Somes said from Bengkulu town. "But the death toll is likely to be higher because we have not been able to contact the worst-hit area, which is the south Bengkulu district."
One local journalist quoted shipping officials as saying that most houses on Enggano island, which lies close to the earthquake's epicentre and is home to 1,500 people, had been destroyed. The governor of Bengkulu province, Mr Hasan Zein, told state television that 90 per cent of Enggano had been damaged. The Antara news agency said doctors at the three hospitals in Bengkulu town were struggling to treat hundreds of injured people in corridors and parking lots as most patients refused to stay indoors, fearing aftershocks would bring down walls.
"It was very panicky. People were running everywhere and screaming `Allah Akbar' (God is Great) after the quake hit us," said one resident.
She said the town was plunged into further misery when heavy rains broke soon after the earthquake. Residents have erected tents and were expected to spend the night outdoors.
The many buildings damaged in Bengkulu town include the provincial governor's office and the local parliament.
Officials said the earthquake had also damaged communications at the airport, forcing it to close. Flights would probably be cancelled until Thursday, they said.
"We have few details about the impact because the earthquake has cut most communications in the province. The army has sent rescue teams to various areas," one police officer said earlier.
Rescue efforts were being hampered by the lack of electricity, which had been cut off by the quake. Water supplies had also been cut and public transport disrupted.
The earthquake struck at 11.28 p.m. local time (1628 GMT) on Sunday. Tremors were felt as far away as Indonesia's capital, Jakarta, 536 km to the south-east of the epicentre, where some residents fled tall buildings when the earthquake struck.
Hundreds of Singapore residents fled their apartments after feeling the tremors.
Indonesia's islands are regularly hit by earthquakes. At least 34 people died last month when an earthquake measuring 6.5 shook central Sulawesi and some neighbouring islands.
The worst earthquake to hit Indonesia in the last decade was in December 1992, when tremors and a tidal wave killed 2,200 people in a number of eastern islands.
Bengkulu province is relatively lightly populated by Indonesian standards, with about 1.4 million people in total. More than 260,000 live in Bengkulu town.
While Sumatra is a vital source of commodities such as palm oil, coffee and rubber, Bengkulu plays only a limited role in such trade, and is not a major tourist destination.