By John Nedy, Indonesia & OCHA
A powerful earthquake struck off the city of Padang on Indonesia's Sumatra Island on Wednesday, killing at least 75 people and trapping thousands under rubble, the country's vice-president said.
Only a few hours earlier another earthquake in the Pacific Ocean had triggered a tsunami that washed other the islands of Tonga and Western and American Samoa and killed more than 100 people.
The Indonesian quake caused widespread panic across the city of 900,000 people, and a hospital in Padang collapsed, said Rustam Pakaya, the head of the health ministry's disaster centre in Jakarta.
At least 21 people had been killed and "thousands of people are trapped in the rubble of buildings", Pakaya said.
Vice-President Jusuf Kalla later told a press conference that over 75 people had died in the earthquake.
TV footage showed devastation, with piles of rubble and smashed houses. Metro Television reported the roof of Padang airport had collapsed and other media said hotels were damaged.
The powerful 7.6 magnitude quake was felt around the region, with some high-rise buildings in Singapore, 440 km (275 miles) to the northeast, evacuating staff. Office buildings also shook in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre cancelled an earlier tsunami alert.
"Hundreds of houses have been damaged along the road. There are some fires, bridges are cut and there is extreme panic here," said a Reuters witness in the city, who also said broken water pipes had triggered flooding.
His mobile phone was then cut off and officials said power had been severed in the city. A resident called Adi later told Indonesia's Metro Television there was devastation around him.
"For now I can't see dead bodies, just collapsed houses. Some half destroyed, others completely. People are standing around too scared to go back inside. They fear a tsunami," said Adi.
"No help has arrived yet. I can see small children standing around carrying blankets. Some people are looking for relatives but all the lights have gone out completely."
Online news agency Detik.com said a hospital and a large market had also been damaged in the city.
Sumatra is home to some of the country's largest oil fields as well as its oldest and smallest liquefied natural gas terminal, although there were no immediate reports of damage to those facilities.
Padang, the capital of Indonesia's West Sumatra province, sits on one of the world's most active fault lines along the "Ring of Fire" where the Indo-Australia plate grinds against the Eurasia plate to create regular tremors and sometimes quakes.
A 9.15 magnitude quake, with its epicentre roughly 600 km (373 miles) northwest of Padang, caused the 2004 tsunami which killed 232,000 people in Indonesia's Aceh province, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, and other countries across the Indian Ocean.
The depth of Wednesday's earthquake was 85 km (53 miles), the United States Geological Survey said. It revised down the magnitude of the quake from 7.9 to 7.6.
Long Held Fears
Geologists have long said Padang may one day be destroyed by a huge earthquake because of its location.
"Padang sits right in front of the area with the greatest potential for an 8.9 magnitude earthquake," said Danny Hilman Natawidjaja, a geologist at the Indonesian Science Institute, in February.
"The entire city could drown" in a tsunami triggered by such a quake, he warned.
Several earthquake-prone parts of the country hold tsunami practice drills, and the national disaster service sends alerts via telephone text messages to subscribers.
But some experts have long said Indonesia needs to do more to reduce the risk of catastrophe.
Triggered by the earthquake, a destructive Tsunami has struck American Samoa, Western Samoa, and the small northern island of Niuatoputapu in Tonga.
Western Samoa
Western Samoa has declared a State of Disaster and requested assistance from foreign missions and the United Nations. Sixty two people were confirmed dead (8.00GMT Sept 30), and 142 confirmed injured. However, UNDP Samoa reports that major roads on Upolu Island are not too damaged.
In many instances, relatives from Apia are driving to affected areas to collect injured family members and bring them to Apia hospital. Caritas Australia reports that they have converted the Pastoral Centre at Logoipulotu in Savaii to an emergency medical centre. It is also reported that many families are providing shelter to relatives who may have had their homes damaged or destroyed. Eye witness reports suggest that looters have entered some resorts but there are no reports of widespread looting at this point.
Tonga
The Government of Tonga has declared a State of Emergency for Niuatoputapu, the closest island to Samoa. The total population of Niuatoputapu is approximately 1,000 people. Tonga Defence Services have confirmed that 6 people are dead and 4 missing.
Widespread damage is also reported, including to the hospital, which the New Zealand Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management reports have been destroyed, and many coastal villages.
The Australian vessel – the Voea Neiafu –departed at 1900 local time (30 September Fiji time). Its estimated arrival time in Niuatoputapu is 1900 local on 1 October Fiji Time. The ship will take food, stores (tents, tarpaulins etc.), medical supplies, a 5-person civilian medical team, one Tonga Red Cross personnel and a two-person media team.
American Samoa
There are 19 reported, but unconfirmed fatalities, in Pago Pago, the capital. US President Barack Obama has declared a “Major Disaster” and FEMA are coordinating a response.
Clear Areas
Kiribati, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Niue, and Fiji have not suffered major damage as a result of the Tsunami.
The mission of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors.
Sources:
OCHA Full Report: Samoan Tsunami
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