The Associated Press reports a magnitude-6.2 earthquake flattened buildings in central Indonesia early Saturday, killing at least 2,900 people and injuring thousands more:
The magnitude-6.2 quake struck at 5:54 a.m. near the ancient city of Yogyakarta, as most people were sleeping, causing death and damage in many nearby towns.One geologist warned that the temblor could spark a large eruption at nearby Mount Merapi, one of the world's most active volcanoes.
Houses, hotels and government buildings collapsed, sending hysterical people running through the streets. Many roads and bridges were destroyed, hindering efforts to get taxis and pickup trucks filled with wounded to hospitals overflowing with patients.
Fourteen hours after the quake struck, the number of dead stood at 2,914, said Social Affairs Ministry official Sopar Jaya.
UPDATE: Agence France-Presses reports whole villages were reduced to rubble and victims were buried alive:
An official at the social affairs ministry's disaster relief centre said at least 3,002 people were dead and more than 2,500 seriously injured in the quake on the south coast of Java island.The Indonesian Red Cross said some 200,000 people had been displaced. The death count was being updated almost by the hour.
Victims who survived went streaming into overwhelmed hospitals, bloodied and terrified, as tens of thousands more were left homeless around the ancient city of Yogyakarta on Java's densely populated south coast.
UPDATE: 05-27-2006 at 3:00 PM
NSNBC reports the death toll from the Indonesian eathquake now stands at more than 3,500.
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