Search for survivors intensifies as death toll rises

INDONESIA said last night it fears thousands have died in a major earthquake as exhausted rescue workers clawed through mountains of rubble with their bare hands to find survivors.

The first flights laden with food, medicine and body bags began arriving in the devastated region on Sumatra island as another powerful quake struck further south, causing more injuries and sparking panic.

Wednesday’s 7.6-magnitude quake toppled buildings and led to fires in Padang, home to nearly a million people on the coast of Sumatra, and saw the city largely without power and communications. The UN said the death toll had risen to 1,100, while the official death toll was set at 770 with 294 people seriously injured, but those numbers are expected to soar as the full scale of the tragedy unfolds. Many districts remain inaccessible to emergency services. “Our prediction is that thousands have died,” health ministry crisis centre head Rustam Pakaya said.