Eyewitness: Indonesia earthquake
Pastor Dale Morgan
Eyewitness: Indonesia earthquake*
The Indonesian island of Sumatra has been hit by a powerful earthquake,
which has left dozens dead and many injured.
The quake struck late in the morning, at 1049 local time (0349 GMT),
while many people were at work or school.
People inside buildings rushed outside, fearing the structures would
collapse.
People flee hospital in Padang, Sumatra
Hospitals have been overwhelmed by the numbers of injured
In coastal Padang, capital of West Sumatra province, many people fled to
higher ground, with memories of 2004's deadly earthquake-triggered
tsunami still fresh in their minds.
A female office worker in Padang, who was working on the second floor of
her building when the initial tremor struck, told the BBC's Indonesian
service that everyone in her building ran outside as soon as they could.
"Our floor was actually swaying away for about five minutes," she said.
"People were panicky with the thought [that a] tsunami might follow
suit, although they have been informed through continuous broadcast
along the streets of Padang to [tell] people that there won't be any
tsunami as the quakes were originated from the land and not from the
sea, but the people of Padang were still unconvinced."
'Crushed shops'
Another Padang resident, Asmiarti, told Reuters news agency of the fear
she felt as the earthquake struck.
It was like the being in a ship where you were swayed around when there
were big waves
Solok resident
"It was really strong. I panicked, I ran out of the house just like the
other neighbours," she said.
"When we got out, our bodies were still shaking and the trees were also
shaking. We fear there would be a tsunami but there has been no
announcement so far".
Officials have confirmed that hundreds of buildings have collapsed in
Padang and several other towns, trapping an unknown number of people inside.
Elvin, also in Padang, described to the BBC the damage he saw
immediately after the earthquake.
"I start to see houses, shops getting crushed, they were flattened to
the ground and there were many people outside their houses, they were
screaming, they were making groups in the street".
Emergency teams have attempted to fan out across the affected region to
assess the damage.
But their efforts have been hampered by damaged roads and traffic jams
from people fleeing the towns.
In Indonesia's capital, Jakarta, Vice-President Yusuf Kalla said he was
pushing the rescue effort forward.
"The National Agency for Disaster Coordination will help the best they
can if there's anything needed from Jakarta," he said.
"I trust the people and the government will be able to overcome the
difficulties they're currently facing. The emergency response will soon
be implemented and we should be able to see more clearly afterwards what
has happened.
Hospitals overwhelmed
Solok, a rice-farming town south-east of Padang, was closer to the
epicentre than Padang.
The town's mayor, Samsurahim, said hospitals were overwhelmed with wounded.
"Our priority is to handle the injured ones, including their families,"
he told Reuters. "We have set up six tents at a soccer field as
emergency posts".
People outside hospital in Sumatra
People are staying outside fearing more buildings may collapse
He said many people may still be trapped under rubble.
"The [rescue] process is going on... I cannot predict how many people
are still trapped because the process is still on. However, there are
many houses collapsed, and I believe that the inhabitants are in them."
A man in Solok described the panic and said the earthquake was like
being in a storm-tossed ship.
"At that time everybody was rushing out of their houses trying to save
themselves," he told the BBC.
"It was like the being in a ship where you were swayed around when there
were big waves. The houses were all swaying away, so were the things
inside and lots of the houses collapsed.
"I have witnessed the destruction of many people's houses as well as
public social facilities like schools and mosques," he said.