Quake rocks Sumatra

Thousands likely dead in Indonesian quake

PADANG, INDONESIA - Indonesia said Thursday it feared thousands had died in a major earthquake as exhausted rescue workers clawed through mountains of rubble with their bare hands in a race to find survivors.

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

Wednesday afternoon's 7.6-magnitude quake toppled buildings and led to fires in Padang, home to nearly a million people on the coast of Sumatra, leaving the city largely without power and communications.Read more

Singaporean found alive

PADANG: Soldiers and volunteers lacking heavy equipment braved heavy rain yesterday in a race to reach survivors of the powerful earthquake that hit West Sumatra province on Wednesday.

One of the lucky ones was 55-year-old Singaporean businessman John Lee, who was pulled out alive from the rubble of a five-storey hotel that came crashing down, trapping him for 30 hours. Read more

Tremors felt in Singapore

Tremors were felt all over Singapore after a powerful earthquake struck western Indonesia earlier this evening.

The quake struck at sea at about 6.15 pm Singapore time at a fairly deep 87 km below sea level and measured 7.9 on the Richter scale. Read more

Video: Indonesia hunts for quake survivors

Video: Scores dead, thousands trapped