6.3 magnitude earthquake in Indonesia

An earthquake on Indonesia's Sumatra island this morning left at least 30 people dead and rocked both Singapore and Malaysia.

The magnitude 6.3 earthquake and the epicenter near the city of Padang occurred at 10h49. A round of aftershocks of 6 Richter intensity took place 2 hours later. People worry that the death toll is still rising because hundreds of buildings have collapsed. Many power lines and phones are broken. Hospitals are in overload because they have to take care of the large number of injured people. Local officials asked for more medicine and communication equipment.

People in some coastal areas evacuate to higher ground. But local officials say there is no risk of tsunamis because of earthquakes in the land and not in the sea.

In some coastal areas of western Malaysia, earthquakes and some high-rise buildings in Singapore's commercial area also have slight vibration. Entrepreneurs said trade activities were not affected.

At a hospital after an earthquake. (Photo: BBC)
(Photo: BBC)

MC