TODAY.AZ / Society

More than 5,600 dead in Indonesian quake

28 May 2006 [23:46] - TODAY.AZ
A frantic search for survivors is continuing after a strong earthquake struck the Indonesian island of Java, killing more than 5,000 people.

According to BBC and Reuters, many people are still believed trapped under rubble and collapsed buildings, but rescue teams say the chances of finding anyone alive are slim.

Relief efforts are picking up speed, with teams from across the country and abroad arriving in the disaster zone.

The area struck by the quake is densely-populated.

The Indonesian Red Cross estimates some 200,000 people fled their homes after it hit early on Saturday morning.

At least 4,600 are thought to have been killed and more than 10,000 injured when the quake, measuring 6.3, flattened buildings south of the city of Yogyakarta.

The BBC's Rachel Harvey at the scene says the situation is still desperate in the worst affected region around the city of Yogyakarta - badly injured people are arriving at hospitals already short of space and hundreds of victims are having to be treated outdoors.

Field clinics are being set up to relieve the pressure on hospitals.

The worst devastation was in the town of Bantul, south of Yogyakarta city, where an official said more than 2,000 people had been killed.

There were also reports that one of the country's most important ancient temple complexes was badly damaged by the quake.

Initial surveys showed collapsed stone walls and statues lying scattered around the site at the Hindu Prambanan complex in Yogyakarta.

The temples are more than 1,000 years old and listed by the UN as a world heritage site.

URL: http://www.today.az/news/society/26657.html

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