Earthquakes Kill Scores, Indonesian Officials Say

Two powerful inland earthquakes rattled the Indonesian island of Sumatra today, leveling hundreds of buildings and killing at least 70 people, according to government officials in Jakarta.

The death toll was expected to increase as rescue workers continued to dig through the rubble of collapsed buildings. Officials said an accurate count of the dead was not yet possible.

The first earthquake, magnitude 6.3, struck just before 11 a.m. 20 miles below Solok on Sumatra’s western coast.


It was followed by a second aftershock of magnitude 6.1 at around 1 p.m, further east near the city of Pekanbaru, according to the US Geological Survey.

Residents said numerous aftershocks continued throughout the day.

Several large volcanoes in western Sumatra also showed increased activity after the tremors.

from the NY Times