Indonesia quake kills more than 3,000 people
 

by Achmad Sukarsono, YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia, May 27 (Reuters)

- A powerful earthquake struck around Indonesia's royal city of Yogyakarta on Saturday, killing more than 3,000 people as houses and buildings collapsed near ancient heritage sites.

As darkness fell in the heartland of Indonesia's main island of Java, thousands prepared to spend the night outside ruined homes or in the grounds of mosques, churches and schools.

"It's pitch dark. We have to use candles and we are sitting outside now. We are too scared to sleep inside. The radio keeps saying there will be more quakes. We still feel the tremors," said Tjut Nariman, who lives on the outskirts of Yogyakarta.

The 6.2 magnitude quake struck just after dawn and was the third major tremor to devastate Indonesia in 18 months, the worst being the quake on Dec. 26, 2004 and its resulting tsunami which left some 170,000 people dead or missing around Aceh.

Indonesia sits on the Asia-Pacific's so-called "Ring of Fire" marked by heavy volcanic and tectonic activity. Many bodies were still buried under rubble as authorities struggled to get aid into the region. Several countries offered medical relief teams and emergency supplies.

Sitting with his wife and three children outside his wrecked house in Kembang Songo village, Sarmiji, 44, told Reuters he had received no aid so far. "Everything is destroyed here. My house is in ruins, all houses are ruined ... I have a neighbour whose 11 family members were killed instantly," he said.

The Social Affairs Ministry's disaster task force in Jakarta said the death toll had reached 3,002 as of late Saturday. Near Sarmiji's flattened house, several bodies lay among the wreckage. Hundreds of villagers sat outside ruined homes looking dazed and confused.

Telephone services were erratic, especially in rural areas and the outskirts of Yogyakarta. Power was out, although streets in the city centre were lit. Yogyakarta's airport was closed due to a damaged runway.