WORLD> Asia-Pacific
|
WORLD> Asia-Pacific
|
|
Indonesian quake toll at 1,100, thousands missing
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-10-02 07:35 Wednesday's quake was the deadliest since May 2006, when more than 3,000 people died in the city of Yugyakarta. SurfAid, a New Zealand-based medical aid group, said its program director, David Lange, narrowly escaped death when he fled the Ambacang Hotel in Padang just minutes before it collapsed. At least 80 people were missing in the five-story hotel, paramedics said. "People are trapped and screaming for help but they are below huge slabs which will take heavy equipment to move," Lange was quoted as saying in a statement by SurfAid. "I saw dozens of the biggest buildings collapsed in town. Most of the damage is concentrated in the commercial center market, which was fully packed," he said. Finance minister Sri Mulyani said the government has allocated $25 million for a two-month emergency response. She said the earthquake will seriously affect Indonesia's economic growth, because West Sumatra is a main producer of crude palm oil. "This region has been damaged seriously, including its infrastructure," Mulyani said.
|
