According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the 6.5 magnitude shallow earthquake struck Indonesia on Wednesday at exactly 5:03 AM (5:03 PM Tue ET) and was centered 12 miles of Sigli's southeast, a town near Aceh's northern tip, at a depth of about 11 miles. They had initially placed its epicenter undersea and stated that it did not generate a tsunami, NBC News reported.
Rescuers used bare hands and earth movers to look for survivors in piles of toppled buildings. Medical volunteers rushed to get people to hospitals, which were trying to accommodate hundreds of injured individuals. According to Indonesia's national disaster management agency spokesperson Sutopo Nugroo, Aceh had been declared in a state of emergency. Nugroho said that they are now focusing on searching for possible survivors and victims. His agency declared the death toll at 94 and may soon rise as the search and rescue operation continues, Reuters reported.
Police officials urged citizens to sleep outdoors as twilight fell since aftershocks can cause more damage to already shaken buildings. President Joko Widodo's deputy told media that he was expected to visit the affected area on Thursday. The quake on Wednesday struck the east coast of the province, which is about 105 miles (170 km) from Banda Aceh. According to Nugroho, the Pidie Jaya regency in Aceh is the most affected. It has a population of around 140,000.
According to witnesses, many victims suffered gashes and broken bones and had to be treated in the corridors of the hospital and hastily erected disaster tents, and medical staff are not enough as well. Television showed footage of fallen electricity poles, flattened mosques and crushed cars. On December 26, 2004, Aceh was devastated by a massive tsunami and earthquake centered on its western coast near the Banda Aceh provincial capital. That horrifying incident killed 226,000 individuals along Indian Ocean shorelines.
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