*Indonesia quake death toll rises*

POSTED: 0712 GMT (1512 HKT), March 8, 2007

Story Highlights
• Quake was magnitude 6.3, followed by 6.1 aftershock, USGS says
• Quake comes after series of disasters for Indonesia
• 194 people were injured in Tuesday's quake

JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- The death toll from the strong earthquake
and aftershock that struck Sumatra climbed to 73 on Thursday, according
to disaster officials there.

Another 194 people were injured, according to the Disaster Coordinating
Center in west Sumatra.

Indonesian television showed widespread damage to buildings on the
western Indonesian island Tuesday, including a hospital that had to be
evacuated.

Government forces were deployed, and a spokesman for President Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono said they were "preparing for the worst."

The U.S. Geological Survey reported a magnitude 6.3 earthquake about 30
miles north-northeast of Padang at 10:50 a.m. Tuesday (10:50 p.m. ET
Monday), followed by a 6.1 temblor two hours later within miles of the
first quake's epicenter.

The quakes sent frightened people running from their homes, said Deputy
Governor Syamsudin in the city of Solok. Three members of one family
were burned alive when their collapsed home burst into flames, The
Associated Press quoted police spokesman Supriadi as saying. (More on
aftermath)

In December 2004, a massive earthquake struck off Sumatra, triggering a
tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people, including 131,000 people
in Indonesia's Aceh province, alone.

An earthquake and resulting tsunami killed more than 500 on Java last
July. (List of recent disasters)

Indonesia is the world's largest archipelago and is prone to seismic
upheaval due to its location on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire," an
arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.