Indonesian Quake Rescue Effort Hampered

Rescuers continue to search for survivors of the Indonesian earthquake as the death toll continues to rise. Hundreds are feared dead on Nias, with an additional 100 reported killed on nearby Simeulue and a further 300 on the isolated Banyak island group just north of Nias.

Indonesian authorities said 330 bodies had already been found in the rubble of homes on Nias, with some predicting that up to 2,000 could have perished. Britons are reported missing as well as 15 Australians and four Swedes.
The Foreign Office said it is looking in to reports by friends and relatives who have not heard from loved ones believed to be in Indonesia. A spokesman said the Foreign Office was looking into reports of “less than a dozen” Britons who may be missing.
He stressed this did not mean they had all been caught up in the aftermath of the quake.
Large parts of Nias, famed as a surfing paradise, have been damaged and several areas of its capital Gunungsitoli have been flattened. Emergency operations have been hampered by the weather, damaged roads and lack of equipment.
Oxfam, which was one of the first aid agencies to reach the islands, said water supplies was a key concern. Team member Alessandra Villas-Boas said: “Unless we get a water supply back up and running, disease could break out and more lives could be lost.”
Residents, who had fled to higher ground during Monday night’s earthquake in fear of another tsunami, are beginning to return to their homes. But the towns are still described as “ghost-like”.
Many had panicked after tsunami warnings had been issued - bringing back memories of the Boxing Day giant waves in which about 300,000 people died. Christian Aid said the new disaster would be “psychologically awful” for the people of Nias as they struggled to recover. (BTN/*)