Aceh Earthquake's Death Toll Reaches 22

Jakarta (Antara) - The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) on Tuesday reported that as many as 22 people were killed and 210 injured due to a 6.2 magnitude earthquake that jolted Aceh on Monday. Head of BNPB Syamsul Maarif said on the agency's official website that among the dead victims, ten were residents of Central Aceh District while the other 12 were from Bener Meriah District. The earthquake caused damage to around 1,500 buildings, including resident houses, religious and office buildings, and tore down some roads in Central Aceh. As many as 140 injured people were taken care to local district hospital and around ten spots of refugee camps established in the district. Meanwhile, in Bener Meriah, 70 residents were injured and taken care in Bener Meriah District Hospital (RSUD). The officials are calculating the material damage in the district. BNPB has sent a Collibri helicopter of the Navy's from Pekanbaru to Aceh to help the disaster mitigation, especially at the border of Central Aceh and Bener Meriah District. The Agency has also deployed a Navy's CN 235 airplane to conduct aerial photograph and rapid assestment of the earthquake effect. The 6.2 magnitude earthquake jolted Aceh province on Tuesday at 02.37 p.m Western Indonesia Time. The quake did not have the potential to cause a tsunami, according to the head of Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG). The epicenter of the quake was located at 4.70 degrees of Northern Latitude and 96.61 degrees of Eastern Longitude or 35 kilometers southwest of Bener Meriah District at a depth of 10 kilometers. (*)