Rescuers comb Indonesia earthquake rubble for second day
MEUREUDU, Indonesia — Rescue workers, soldiers and police combed through the rubble of a devastated town in Indonesia’s Aceh province Thursday, resuming a search for earthquake survivors that was halted at night by rain and blackouts.
More than 100 people died in the shallow and powerful quake that struck northeast Sumatra before dawn on Wednesday. Hundreds were injured and dozens of buildings were destroyed. The worst damage appears to be in Pidie Jaya district near the epicenter, but assessments of the region are still underway.
Scores of rescue personnel were crawling over a market in Meureudu, the hard-hit town, where many shop houses collapsed. One shop owner, Hajj Yusri Abdullah, didn’t hold out much hope of finding survivors. He said nearly two dozen bodies were pulled from the market debris the day before. They included a group of eight made up of a newlywed couple and family members holding an ornate celebration known as Antar Dara Baro.
Some people spent the night outdoors while thousands of others took refuge in mosques and temporary shelters.