Aceh Earthquake's death Toll Reaches 24

Jakarta (Antara) - The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) on Wednesday evening reported that the death toll of Aceh's earthquake increased to 24 from previously reported 22. Spokesperson of BNPB Sutopo Purwo Nugroho in a release here on Wednesday said that among the dead victims, 14 were residents of Bener Meriah District while the other 10 were from Central Aceh District. The Agency also reported as many as 249 residents were injured and taken care of at local district hospitals due to the 6.2 magnitude earthquake on Tuesday (July 2). The earthquake damaged 75 buildings in Bener Meriah Districts and caused landslides that cut road access to the area. "Two residents of Bener Meriah Districts were reported missing," Nugroho said. Meanwhile, in Central Aceh Districts, as many as 300 buildings had been damaged by the earthquake. The number might increase as the officials are still calculating and gathering data about the damaged properties. Two buldozers were deployed to Takengon, Central Aceh District to remove landslides to open road access. "BNPB has sent a Collibri helicopter of the Navy from Pekanbaru to Aceh to help disaster mitigation efforts especially at the border between Central Aceh and Bener Meriah Districts," Nugroho said. (*)