Some 45,300 Indonesians have been displaced by the 6.5-magnitude quake that struck on December 7, 2016 (AFP Photo/GATHA GINTING)

Tens of thousands of people have been displaced after a devastating earthquake in Indonesia killed more than 100 people, an official said Saturday, leaving communities in ruins as aid trickled into the disaster-stricken province. The estimate of the number of homeless people continues to grow while relief efforts fan out across the three districts near the epicenter of Wednesday's magnitude 6.5 quake, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency said in a statement

"The basic needs of refugees must be met during the evacuation," it said. Humanitarian groups are now coordinating their efforts from a main command post in Pidie Jaya, the worst affected district, the agency said. At least 100 people were killed and hundreds injured in the quake, which also destroyed or damaged more than 11,000 buildings, mostly homes but also several hundred mosques and schools. The displaced are staying in temporary shelters and mosques or with relatives. On Saturday, sniffer dogs were again used in the search for bodies and possible survivors in the devastated town of Meureudu, where a market filled with shop houses was largely flattened. Four other locations in Pidie Jaya are also the focus of search efforts. Indonesian President Joko Widodo visited Meureudu Friday, pledging to rebuild the area's devastated communities as he called on Indonesians to pray for their countrymen.
At least 43,000 have been displaced by Wednesday's earthquake in the Indonesian province of Aceh.