Aceh Quake Injures 275, Killing 30

Jakarta (Antara) - The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) on Thursday reported the death toll of Aceh's earthquake rose to 30, while those injured rose to 275 victims. Spokesperson of BNPB Sutopo Purwo Nugroho in a release here on Thursday said that among the dead victims, 12 were residents of Bener Meriah District, while the other 18 were residents of Central Aceh District. "Most of the casualties were children and elderly persons who were hit by collapsed building ruins," Nugroho said. The earthquake injured 109 residents and caused medium to heavy damage over 537 resident houses and minor damage to the other 252 in Bener Meriah District. Refuge camps were established in 15 spots over the region. Meanwhile, in Central Aceh District, 166 residents were injured due to the earthquake. At least 1,368 residents houses were heavily damaged and 2,135 were lightly damaged. As many as 75 public facility buildings were also damaged. Displaced people are taking refugee in camps established in 20 spots in the district. The agency is still gathering data of victims and material damage. The 6.2 magnitude earthquake jolted Aceh province on Tuesday at 2.37 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. (*)