PRESIDENT YUDHOYONO INSPECTS QUAKE-HIT PARIAMAN

Padang, W Sumatra, Oct. 2 (ANTARA) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and First Lady Ani Yudhoyono were scheduled to inspect the quake-hit district of Pariaman on Friday (Oct.2) morning after the magnitude-7.6 earthquake rocked West Sumatra on Wednesday afternoon.

The president and his entourage including Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Aburizal Bakrie, Home Affairs Minister Mardiyanto, Transportation Minister Jusman Syafei Djamal, Public Works Minister Djoko Kirmanto, and Industry Minister Fahmi Idris arrived in Padang on Thursday (Oct.1) and visited several locations worst hit by Wednesday's magnitude 7.6 quake in Padang.

The town of Pariaman is about 60 kilometers from Padang, capital of West Sumatra province.

On Thursday afternoon, the head of state also inspected the Ambacang Hotel in Padang which was flattened by a magnitude-7.6 earthquake.

On Thursday at a meeting held at the West Sumatra governor's residence to handle the impact of the quake, Padang Mayor Fauzi Bahar and West Sumatra Governor Gamawan Fauzi reported the conditions in the aftermath of the magnitude 7.6 earthquake to the President.

At around 09:00 am, Friday before leaving for Pariaman, the President and First Lady will visit the M Djamil general hospital, which was devastated by the strong quake.

After visiting Pariaman, the President was scheduled to return to Jakarta.
The number of deaths in the quake that hit West Sumatra on Wednesday reached 478 until Thursday evening.

According to data from the Command Post of the Coordination Unit for Disaster Control in West Sumatra the deaths were recorded in Padang city, the towns of Pariaman, Solok and Bukitinggi, and Padang Pariaman district.

Most of the dead victims in Padang were found at Hotel Ambacang that collapsed, at the GAMMA Study Center, the LIA study center in Khatib Sulaiman and at the Foreign Language Institute (STBA).

According to the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency the epicenter of the quake was located 0.84 degrees southern latitude and 99.65 degrees northern longitude, around 57 kilometers northwest of Pariaman district, West Sumatra, at a depth of 71 kilometers.

It was about 78 km northwest of Padang, 99 km southwest of Bukittinggi, 106 km northeast of Mentawai Islands.