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http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/indon-quake-toll-tops-2500/2006/05/27/1148524927481.html

Indon quake toll tops 2500

May 27, 2006 - 10:08PM

A powerful earthquake destroyed entire towns and villages in central Indonesia today, killing more than 2,700 people, injuring thousands and sparking a tsunami scare which sowed mass panic.

The 6.2 magnitude quake struck at dawn near the densely populated ancient city of Yogyakarta on the main island of Java, rattling an area that had been on edge for weeks amid fears nearby Mount Merapi volcano would erupt.

Thousands of families fled their homes in panic as buildings shuddered and collapsed, many of them running for higher ground amid false rumours of a tsunami like the one that devastated the country in December 2004.

Many could not escape and were buried under the rubble of collapsed buildings or struck by flying rocks and debris as the quake devastated towns and villages across the south of the island.

One of the worst hit areas was the Bantul district, south of Yogyakarta, which was flattened.

"There is only one house remaining standing here, that of the head of the hamlet, but even that is not safe anymore as the walls are cracked," said Ngadiyo, 63, crouching in front of the rubble of his house in central Bantul.

"I have never gone through an earthquake this strong during my entire life," said his elder brother, Jodi Riwono, 46, who was trapped unconscious under rubble before being rescued by a grandson.

An official at the social affairs ministry's disaster relief centre said at least 2,727 fatalities had been reported in Yogyakarta and Central Java provinces.

Emergency rescue and medical crews rushed to the worst-hit areas as officials said the death toll may rise.

Hospitals overflowed with casualties.

Heru Nugroho, spokesman for the state-run Sardjito hospital in Yogyakarta, around 400 kilometres east of the capital Jakarta, said 1,500 victims were being treated at the hospital, many of them in the hallways.

People of all ages with broken arms and legs and bruised faces lay out on tiled floors covered in blood waiting for attention. Bodies were covered with bedsheets.

Australian consular staff have contacted Yogyakarta's major hospitals and were told there were no Australians among the casualties.

Staff will set up an embassy office to assist Australians in Yogyakarta.

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer announced Australia has offered $A1 million in immediate aid to quake survivors.

"Australia offers condolences to the families of the victims and stands ready to offer additional assistance if necessary," Downer said.

Aid agencies were sending tents and food to the area to help those left homeless, while an appeal for blood donors was launched.

Rescue workers and survivors pulled hundreds of bodies hourly from the rubble.

The quake forced the closure of Adisucipto airport in Yogyakarta, Detikcom news portal said, with buildings damaged and cracks in the runway. Flights have been diverted to the nearby city of Solo.

Meteorologists said the quake measured 5.9 on the Richter scale, but both US and Hong Kong monitors registered it at 6.2. Seismologists said the quake would not increase the likelihood of an eruption at Merapi.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono ordered Health Minister Siti Fadillah Supari and Social Affairs Minister Bachtiar Chamsyah to travel to Yogyakarta immediately to oversee rescue efforts.

"The president is deeply concerned," presidential spokesman Andi Malarangeng told a press conference, adding that Yudhoyono had ordered in troops to help evacuate victims.

Yudhoyono himself was to visit the region tomorrow, he said.

The tsunami scare started when Yogyakarta province police chief Bambang Hari Sampurnojati told local radio that the earthquake was to be followed by tidal waves.

"We panicked when we heard that there was a tsunami. We were ready to flee," Yogyakarta resident Clemon Cilik told the state Antara news agency.

As several aftershocks shook the region, many residents were too afraid to return home, wandering dazed and confused in the streets, many in tears.

More than 20,000 residents living in the shadow of Mount Merapi are already staying in emergency shelters after being evacuated from the slopes following the raising of the top alert signal.

UNICEF spokesman John Budd in Jakarta told CNN that because it had been geared up for relief operations in the event of an eruption it already had response facilities in the area.

"We will be able to provide food, tents, collapsible water tanks and health kits," he said.

A spokesman for the Indonesian Red Cross told the BBC five action teams had been despatched to the area and 21 field hospital units were operating at full capacity.

Britain and France offered aid to Indonesia to help it cope with the aftermath, while Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences and offered assistance in coping with the consequences of the quake.

Damage to roads, power and telecommunications was hampering the rescue effort, police chief Sampurnojati said.

"Electricity is out and communication is difficult," he told El Shinta radio.

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