Aceh Earthquake Kills Five, One Critically Injured, Six Suffer Minor Injuries

By Ahmad Fuad Yahya JAKARTA, April 12 (Bernama) -- Five people were killed, a child critically injured and six others suffered minor injuries when a powerful earthquake measuring 8.5 on the Richter scale struck off Aceh, Indonesia Wednesday. According to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, most of them who died had suffered heart attacks while a child was critically injured when a tree fell in Aceh Singkil. On Wednesday, a 8.5-magnitude quake hit Indonesia, 434km south west of Banda Aceh and was 33km deep, sending thousands fleeing for fear of a tsunami while the strong earthquake was followed by a series of strong aftershocks, including one measuring 8.2, 615km off Banda Aceh. On Thursday, residents living in Aceh, Bengkulu, North and West Sumatra resumed their normal activities. The Aceh province was devastated by a 9.1-magnitude quake which triggered a huge tsunami on Dec 26, 2004 that left 170,000 dead or missing, and that in total killed about 230,000 people in 13 Indian Ocean nations. On Wednesday, a tsunami watch was issued for Indian Ocean countries, but later lifted. -- BERNAMAA