Indonesia Aceh rescue operation after deadly earthquake
rescue operation
indonesia aceh rescue operation deadly earthquake
Indonesia Aceh <m> rescue operation </m> after deadly earthquake
http : / / www . bbc . co . uk / news / world - 23141479
3 July 2013 Last updated at 13 : 38 GMT
Indonesia Aceh <m> rescue operation </m> after deadly earthquake
Rescue operations are under way after a 6 . 1 magnitude earthquake hit Indonesia's Aceh province , flattening houses and causing landslides .
Officials say at least 24 people were killed and more than 200 injured by the quake , which struck the western tip of Sumatra island on Tuesday .
One report said six children were killed and 14 trapped under debris when a mosque collapsed in Central Aceh .
Indonesia is located on one of the most seismically active regions on earth .
"We have recorded 24 people dead and 249 people injured , " disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho told Agence - France Presse ( AFP ) news agency .
He added that more than 300 buildings have been damaged in the quake .
Power cut
Soldiers and police have been deployed in rescue operations , but have struggled to access some areas where roads were blocked by landslides , officials said .
The Indonesian air force deployed a helicopter and a plane as part of the rescue efforts .
Officials say that the quake was felt for around 15 seconds , from Banda Aceh , the regional capital , to Bener Meriah , one of the worst - hit areas .
In Bener Meriah , about 300 people slept outdoors on Tuesday night as the area was hit by strong aftershocks and people were afraid to return to their homes , a local official told AFP .
"We have a power outage now and communications are unreliable , " he added .
In 2004 , a magnitude 9 . 1 quake off Indonesia triggered a tsunami that killed some 230 , 000 people around the Indian Ocean .
Indonesia is prone to earthquakes due to its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire , an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin .