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| Sunday, 8 February 2004 |
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Indonesia quake toll reaches 25, scores injured NABIRE, Indonesia, Feb 7 (Reuters) Residents of a Indonesian town camped outside their damaged homes on Monday fearing more aftershocks a day after a massive earthquake killed 25 people and injured nearly 200. "I could not sleep last night. We all refused to go inside our houses until this morning. The situation is still tense," Marquisa, a mother of four, told Reuters as she stood outside her house in Nabire in eastern Papua province. "We brought everything that we could but we do not know for how long we have to stay like this," another resident said. The quake, measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale, struck early on Friday morning, damaging many buildings. As of 0100 GMT on Saturday, mild tremors could still be felt in the town of 26,000 people. Muhamad Son Ani, district police chief in Nabire, said the death toll had risen to 25 from 23. Another police officer in Nabire told Reuters that 187 people had been injured, many seriously. Officials expect the death toll to rise because the figures only account for casualties within or close to the town. With electricity and most communication lines dead it was difficult for officials to coordinate and obtain the latest figures. In one hospital, 86 people were being treated and many beds were outside in makeshift tents. A nurse said there were shortages of medicines and anaesthetics. The quake destroyed schools, forced the airport to close and damaged places of worship. The dome of one mosque had smashed to the ground and roads were buckled and cracked. A Reuters photographer said he saw relatively few houses damaged because many homes in the town were made out of wood. Indonesia's chief social welfare minister Jusuf Kalla and several other officials were scheduled to arrive in Nabire on Saturday. Rugged but resource-rich Papua, formerly known as Irian Jaya, is 3,000 km (1,900 miles) east of Indonesia's capital, Jakarta. The quake was felt in Manokwari, about 325 km (200 miles) from Nabire and in the mining site of the giant Grasberg copper and gold mine in Papua, some 175 km (110 miles) away, which is jointly owned by Rio Tinto and Freeport-McMoRan Inc, although no damage was reported in either place. |
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