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Two Earthquakes Shake Indonesia


via Reuters

Two Earthquakes have rattled the Pacific nation of Indonesia, crumbling most buildings and creating mass devastation. Wednesday evening a 7.6 earthquake rattled the island of Sumatra. Then on Thursday morning, an earthquake of 6.6 struck the same area. 777 people have been reported dead, and the number is expected to rise.

Hundreds have been trapped underneath the rubble. One man spent 25 hours underneath the wreckage of his hotel before rescuers found him. 440 people have been seriously injured, and doctors are finding it difficult to provide medical aid because the city’s three hospitals have all collapsed.

The government has provided 25 million dollars for emergency response, but the country is overwhelmed. UNICEF reports that thousands are now homeless, including children. "The needs of thousands of children are vast and urgent. They must have access to clean water, shelter," said Angela Kearney, the U.N. body's Indonesian chief.

Earlier this week, a different earthquake triggered a tsunami in Samoa, but the two disasters have no connection according to the National Earthquake Information Center. Though Indonesia’s earthquakes swayed buildings in countries hundreds of miles away, there has been no sign yet of a tsunami aftereffect.

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