Relief operations for quake victims

RELIEF operations swung into gear yesterday, a day after a powerful quake rocked the Indonesian island of Sumatra, as a senior official revised the death toll down to 52.

The force of the 6.3 magnitude earthquake, which was followed by an almost equally powerful aftershock, stunned villagers used to the tremors that often shake this mountainous region of West Sumatra.

Rescue officials earlier said the quake, which hit early Tuesday, killed 71 people and injured hundreds, many seriously.