Powerful earthquake, aftershocks strike Sumatra Island; at least 44 dead

JAKARTA, Indonesia - A powerful earthquake and dozens of strong aftershocks struck the Indonesian island of Sumatra, killing at least 44 people, injuring hundreds and leaving thousands homeless, authorities said Monday.

In Bengkulu, the hardest-hit city, people dug through the rubble of ruined buildings in search of bodies and trapped survivors.

The Indonesian Meteorological and Geophysical Service said the quake, measuring magnitude 7.3, hit at 11:29 p.m. Sunday and was centered beneath the Indian Ocean, about 60 west of Bengkulu, which has a population of 1.2 million. The U.S. Geological Survey in Golden, Colo., estimated the quake's strength at 7.9.

The death toll from the quake was expected to rise as volunteers and emergency workers search ruined buildings. Witnesses reported widespread panic in Bengkulu and said hospitals were overwhelmed with injured people.

''Many houses have collapsed and the walls on bigger buildings have been fractured. I helped save three of my neighbors who were trapped under rubble,'' said Edy, a resident of Bengkulu.

The quake lasted several minutes and shook a wide area. A magnitude 6 aftershock hit 11 minutes afterward, and 53 smaller tremors were recorded before 6 a.m. Monday, frightening residents and hampering rescue efforts, Indonesian seismologists said.

An official of the state geophysical service in Jakarta, Suhardjono, who like many Indonesians uses only one name, said 25 bodies had been recovered in or near the city, all of them killed by falling debris.

Rescue efforts before sunrise were hampered by widespread electricity and telephone outages. Thousands fled their homes as aftershocks continued.

Witnesses said local hospitals were overwhelmed with injured people and were struggling to cope as few staff members had arrived at work. They said medical supplies were running low.

Doctors in Bengkulu treated the injured in the open, fearing aftershocks might bring down the state hospital, the official Antara news agency reported. Damage was also reported at Bengkulu Airport.

Bengkulu police Sgt. Hariyono said by telephone that many more people were reported injured in demolished houses.

''The quake went on for many minutes. Dozens of homes have been destroyed, and almost all houses and buildings in the city seem to have been damaged,'' said Hariyono, who like many Indonesians uses only one name.

The quake, one of the strongest recorded in Indonesia in recent years, was felt across much of western half of the archipelago nation and the neighboring island state of Singapore.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake's epicenter was about 20 miles beneath the floor of the Indian Ocean - very shallow in geological terms. But there were no immediate reports of a tsunami, a massive wave caused by an earthquake or volcanic eruption.

In December 1992, a magnitude-7 earthquake caused a tsunami that killed about 2,500 people on the southeastern island of Flores. A magnitude-7 earthquake is capable of causing widespread and heavy damage in urban areas.

Indonesia, the world's biggest archipelago nation, sits on major fault lines and is prone to frequent seismic upheavals.