October 1, 2009 5:35 PM

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Thousands feared dead in Sumatra as second quake rocks the island

The death toll in earthquake that struck the Indonesia island of Sumatra could number in thousands.<br/><br/>The head of the Health Ministry's Disaster Centre, Rustam Pakaya made this statement to newsmen at Jakarta's Halim airport. Officials had earlier put the death toll at between 100 to 200 people, but warned that many others remained buried under rubble.<br/><br/>The first quake of 7.6 magnitude struck close to Padang, the capital of West Sumatra province on Wednesday. The earthquake brought down hundreds of buildings, including hospitals. It damaged power lines and triggered landslides. Rescuers struggled in heavy rain on Thursday to locate survivors in the rubble of collapsed buildings. A second quake of 6.8 magnitude struck close to Padang at 0852 local time on Thursday, but there are no immediate reports of casualties or damage.<br/><br/>The death toll in the tragedy is expected to mount further. <br/><br/>

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