About 5:00 pm on September 30th, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck just offshore of the town of Padang in Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake toppled buildings and started many landslides, smashing homes and swallowing up entire villages. The following day, As rescue workers arrived and residents tried their best to dig out and help the survivors, another unrelated quake with a magnitude of 6.6 struck less than 1,000 km south of the original epicenter. Each of the two quakes had at least one aftershock greater than 5.0 as well. Over 1,000 people are known to have died, an additional 3,000 still missing. Today, October 5th, officials called off the search for survivors in Padang, and are focusing now on caring for the living and coordinating with international relief agencies.
1. A survivor squats on top of the ruins of a village hit by a landslide which occured when an earthquake hit the area of Kapalo Koto in Pariaman, West Sumatra province October 5, 2009. (REUTERS/Nicky Loh)
2. An injured girl cries during an evacuation immediately after an earthquake hit Padang, Indonesia's Sumatra island September 30, 2009. (REUTERS/Muhammad Fitrah/Singgalang Newspaper)
3. A man runs near a burning houses after a powerful earthquake in Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009. (AP Photo)
4. A worker takes a cigarette break as he and his colleagues work on dismantling a car trapped under rubble at the M. Djamil General Hospital on October 2, 2009 in Padang, Indonesia. (Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)
5. Rescue workers from UAE meet before carrying out activities as dusk settles on the Ambacang Hotel on Saturday Oct. 3, 2009 in Padang, Indonesia.(AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)
6. A man walks out of a damaged dealership beside a car crushed after an earthquake in central Padang in Indonesia's West Sumatra province October 3, 2009. (REUTERS/Dylan Martinez)
7. An aerial picture shows an area after landslide destroyed three villages following recent earthquakes in Pariaman on October 4, 2009. (ADEK BERRY/AFP/Getty Images)
8. Soldiers and volunteers carry an earthquake victim from a collapsed hotel in Padang on Indonesia's Sumatra island October 1, 2009. (REUTERS/Muhammad Fitrah/Singgalang Newspaper)
9. A damaged building is seen on Saturday Oct. 3, 2009 in Padang, Indonesia. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
10. An Indonesian search and rescue team excavate the bodies of quake victims from underneath a collapsed building during an evacuation in Padang on October 3, 2009. (ADEK BERRY/AFP/Getty Images)
11. A boy crawls under overhanging rubble in what used to be a market on Sunday Oct. 4, 2009 in Padang, Indonesia. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
12. Suri, an Indonesian woman, is rescued from the rubble of a collapsed building in the Sumatran city of Padang on October 2, 2009 after a 7.6-magnitude quake toppled buildings in the area late on September 30. (ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP/Getty Images)
13. A rescue worker from Russia carries his dog onto the roof of a collapsed building in the earthquake-hit area of Padang, West Sumatra province October 4, 2009. (REUTERS/Nicky Loh)
14. A man struggles in the mud in front of a collapsed house in a village hit by a landslide after an earthquake occured in Kapalo Koto in Pariaman, West Sumatra province October 5, 2009. (REUTERS/Nicky Loh)
15. A child lies on a mattress inside a house damaged by an earthquake in Padang Pariaman, a coastal town in the Indonesian province of West Sumatra, October 4, 2009. (REUTERS/Crack Palinggi)
16. A man carrying ducks evacuates his house, damaged by an earthquake, in Padang Pariaman, a coastal town in the Indonesian province of West Sumatra, October 4, 2009. (REUTERS/Crack Palinggi)
17. The foot of an Indonesian villager who was buried by a landslide caused by last Wednesday's earthquake is seen as rescuers try to remove the body in the Sumatran Island village of Jumanak, in Padang Pariaman, Indonesia, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009. (AP Photo/Kevin Frayer)
18. A rescue worker shows the identification card of a victim inside the Ambacang Hotel which collapsed in the earthquake-hit area of Padang, West Sumatra province October 4, 2009. (REUTERS/Nicky Loh)
19. A motorcyclist and his passengers drive past destroyed houses at Patamuan village in Padang Pariaman, Indonesia, October 3, 2009. (REUTERS/Crack Palinggi)
20. Rescue workers walk past the Ambacang Hotel which collapsed in the earthquake-hit area of Padang, West Sumatra province October 4, 2009. (REUTERS/Nicky Loh)
21. Indonesian villagers take shelter from the rain in an area where a landslide destroyed hundreds of homes following last Wednesday's earthquake in the Sumatran Island village of Jumanak, in Padang Pariaman, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009. (AP Photo/Kevin Frayer)
22. A soldier rests during a heavy downpour as rescue work continues at an earthquake-destroyed hotel in Padang in West Sumatra province October 4, 2009. (REUTERS/Dylan Martinez)
23. Bride Evi Susanti waits for her groom Roni Gustiawan before the start of a traditional wedding ceremony in Pariaman, Indonesia on October 4, 2009. Gustiawan's house was destroyed by a powerful earthquake four days ago, but on Sunday, dressed in traditional Indonesian red and gold finery, he married his 25-year-old fiancee regardless. The period immediately after the fasting month of Ramadan, which ended last month, is considered an auspicious time for many Indonesian Muslims to marry. (REUTERS/Erik de Castro)
24. Guests attending Roni Gustiawan and Evi Susanti's traditional wedding ceremony sit near a wall damaged during the earthquake, in Pariaman, Indonesia on October 4, 2009. (REUTERS/Erik de Castro)
25. An abandoned school classroom in the collapsed Pulau Karam college in the Sumatran Island city of Pedang, Indonesia, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
26. Rescue workers from Turkey use a scope to search for survivors inside a building in the earthquake-hit area of Padang, West Sumatra province October 4, 2009. (REUTERS/Nicky Loh)
27. An Indonesian woman mourns the death of her family members at the site where her family was buried alive in the Sumatran city of Tandiket on October 3, 2009. (MANAN VATSYAYANA/AFP/Getty Images)
28. A man prays in front of a statue of Mary and Baby Jesus in a Catholic church which was affected by the earthquake on Sunday Oct. 4, 2009 in Padang, Indonesia. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
29. Nine-year-old Indah, who has two broken legs, screams in agony as she is consoled by her grandmother inside a makeshift tent erected outside the partially destroyed M Djamil hospital in Padang, Indonesia on October 3, 2009. (REUTERS/Dylan Martinez)
30. A man searches for scrap metal in a market that was destroyed in the earthquake on Monday, Oct. 5, 2009 in Padang, Indonesia. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)
31. A Swiss rescue team continues efforts to find victims in Padang, on October 4, 2009 after a 7.6-magnitude quake toppled buildings in the area late on September 30. (BAY ISMOYO/AFP/Getty Images)
32. Only the hair of a victim killed by the earthquake is visible amongst dirt and rubble, after she was uncovered in a destroyed building in central Padang, Indonesia's West Sumatra province in the early hours of October 4, 2009. (REUTERS/Dylan Martinez)
33. A man leans on a car crushed by a minaret of a mosque that fell onto it after an earthquake in Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2009. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
34. Nasirwan, 26, digs a grave for his father, a victim of a the September 30 quake at Lubuk Laweh village in Pariaman, West Sumatra, on October 5, 2009. (BAY ISMOYO/AFP/Getty Images)
35. A traditional "minangkabau" designed building flattened by an earthquake is seen in Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia, Friday, Oct. 2, 2009. (AP Photo/Yasser Arafat)
36. Hands protrude from rubble as rescue efforts continue on October 3, 2009 in Padang, Indonesia. (Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)
37. An aerial view of an area affected by earthquake-triggered landslide in Padang Pariaman, West Sumatra, Indonesia, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
38. Indonesian boy Sigon, 11, who was injured in last Wednesday's earthquake, lies in a makeshift hospital in the Sumatran Island city of Padang, Indonesia on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009. (AP Photo/Kevin Frayer)
39. A man sells blended chili in a traditional market which was damaged by an earthquake in Padang, West Sumatra province October 5, 2009. (REUTERS/Enny Nuraheni)
40. An Indonesian student cries as she and fellow students pray at their school after it reopened for classes following an earthquake in Padang, West Sumatra province October 5, 2009. (REUTERS/Dadang Tri)
1. A survivor squats on top of the ruins of a village hit by a landslide which occured when an earthquake hit the area of Kapalo Koto in Pariaman, West Sumatra province October 5, 2009. (REUTERS/Nicky Loh)
2. An injured girl cries during an evacuation immediately after an earthquake hit Padang, Indonesia's Sumatra island September 30, 2009. (REUTERS/Muhammad Fitrah/Singgalang Newspaper)
3. A man runs near a burning houses after a powerful earthquake in Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009. (AP Photo)
4. A worker takes a cigarette break as he and his colleagues work on dismantling a car trapped under rubble at the M. Djamil General Hospital on October 2, 2009 in Padang, Indonesia. (Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)
5. Rescue workers from UAE meet before carrying out activities as dusk settles on the Ambacang Hotel on Saturday Oct. 3, 2009 in Padang, Indonesia.(AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)
6. A man walks out of a damaged dealership beside a car crushed after an earthquake in central Padang in Indonesia's West Sumatra province October 3, 2009. (REUTERS/Dylan Martinez)
7. An aerial picture shows an area after landslide destroyed three villages following recent earthquakes in Pariaman on October 4, 2009. (ADEK BERRY/AFP/Getty Images)
8. Soldiers and volunteers carry an earthquake victim from a collapsed hotel in Padang on Indonesia's Sumatra island October 1, 2009. (REUTERS/Muhammad Fitrah/Singgalang Newspaper)
9. A damaged building is seen on Saturday Oct. 3, 2009 in Padang, Indonesia. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
10. An Indonesian search and rescue team excavate the bodies of quake victims from underneath a collapsed building during an evacuation in Padang on October 3, 2009. (ADEK BERRY/AFP/Getty Images)
11. A boy crawls under overhanging rubble in what used to be a market on Sunday Oct. 4, 2009 in Padang, Indonesia. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
12. Suri, an Indonesian woman, is rescued from the rubble of a collapsed building in the Sumatran city of Padang on October 2, 2009 after a 7.6-magnitude quake toppled buildings in the area late on September 30. (ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP/Getty Images)
13. A rescue worker from Russia carries his dog onto the roof of a collapsed building in the earthquake-hit area of Padang, West Sumatra province October 4, 2009. (REUTERS/Nicky Loh)
14. A man struggles in the mud in front of a collapsed house in a village hit by a landslide after an earthquake occured in Kapalo Koto in Pariaman, West Sumatra province October 5, 2009. (REUTERS/Nicky Loh)
15. A child lies on a mattress inside a house damaged by an earthquake in Padang Pariaman, a coastal town in the Indonesian province of West Sumatra, October 4, 2009. (REUTERS/Crack Palinggi)
16. A man carrying ducks evacuates his house, damaged by an earthquake, in Padang Pariaman, a coastal town in the Indonesian province of West Sumatra, October 4, 2009. (REUTERS/Crack Palinggi)
17. The foot of an Indonesian villager who was buried by a landslide caused by last Wednesday's earthquake is seen as rescuers try to remove the body in the Sumatran Island village of Jumanak, in Padang Pariaman, Indonesia, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009. (AP Photo/Kevin Frayer)
18. A rescue worker shows the identification card of a victim inside the Ambacang Hotel which collapsed in the earthquake-hit area of Padang, West Sumatra province October 4, 2009. (REUTERS/Nicky Loh)
19. A motorcyclist and his passengers drive past destroyed houses at Patamuan village in Padang Pariaman, Indonesia, October 3, 2009. (REUTERS/Crack Palinggi)
20. Rescue workers walk past the Ambacang Hotel which collapsed in the earthquake-hit area of Padang, West Sumatra province October 4, 2009. (REUTERS/Nicky Loh)
21. Indonesian villagers take shelter from the rain in an area where a landslide destroyed hundreds of homes following last Wednesday's earthquake in the Sumatran Island village of Jumanak, in Padang Pariaman, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009. (AP Photo/Kevin Frayer)
22. A soldier rests during a heavy downpour as rescue work continues at an earthquake-destroyed hotel in Padang in West Sumatra province October 4, 2009. (REUTERS/Dylan Martinez)
23. Bride Evi Susanti waits for her groom Roni Gustiawan before the start of a traditional wedding ceremony in Pariaman, Indonesia on October 4, 2009. Gustiawan's house was destroyed by a powerful earthquake four days ago, but on Sunday, dressed in traditional Indonesian red and gold finery, he married his 25-year-old fiancee regardless. The period immediately after the fasting month of Ramadan, which ended last month, is considered an auspicious time for many Indonesian Muslims to marry. (REUTERS/Erik de Castro)
24. Guests attending Roni Gustiawan and Evi Susanti's traditional wedding ceremony sit near a wall damaged during the earthquake, in Pariaman, Indonesia on October 4, 2009. (REUTERS/Erik de Castro)
25. An abandoned school classroom in the collapsed Pulau Karam college in the Sumatran Island city of Pedang, Indonesia, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
26. Rescue workers from Turkey use a scope to search for survivors inside a building in the earthquake-hit area of Padang, West Sumatra province October 4, 2009. (REUTERS/Nicky Loh)
27. An Indonesian woman mourns the death of her family members at the site where her family was buried alive in the Sumatran city of Tandiket on October 3, 2009. (MANAN VATSYAYANA/AFP/Getty Images)
28. A man prays in front of a statue of Mary and Baby Jesus in a Catholic church which was affected by the earthquake on Sunday Oct. 4, 2009 in Padang, Indonesia. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
29. Nine-year-old Indah, who has two broken legs, screams in agony as she is consoled by her grandmother inside a makeshift tent erected outside the partially destroyed M Djamil hospital in Padang, Indonesia on October 3, 2009. (REUTERS/Dylan Martinez)
30. A man searches for scrap metal in a market that was destroyed in the earthquake on Monday, Oct. 5, 2009 in Padang, Indonesia. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)
31. A Swiss rescue team continues efforts to find victims in Padang, on October 4, 2009 after a 7.6-magnitude quake toppled buildings in the area late on September 30. (BAY ISMOYO/AFP/Getty Images)
32. Only the hair of a victim killed by the earthquake is visible amongst dirt and rubble, after she was uncovered in a destroyed building in central Padang, Indonesia's West Sumatra province in the early hours of October 4, 2009. (REUTERS/Dylan Martinez)
33. A man leans on a car crushed by a minaret of a mosque that fell onto it after an earthquake in Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2009. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
34. Nasirwan, 26, digs a grave for his father, a victim of a the September 30 quake at Lubuk Laweh village in Pariaman, West Sumatra, on October 5, 2009. (BAY ISMOYO/AFP/Getty Images)
35. A traditional "minangkabau" designed building flattened by an earthquake is seen in Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia, Friday, Oct. 2, 2009. (AP Photo/Yasser Arafat)
36. Hands protrude from rubble as rescue efforts continue on October 3, 2009 in Padang, Indonesia. (Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)
37. An aerial view of an area affected by earthquake-triggered landslide in Padang Pariaman, West Sumatra, Indonesia, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
38. Indonesian boy Sigon, 11, who was injured in last Wednesday's earthquake, lies in a makeshift hospital in the Sumatran Island city of Padang, Indonesia on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009. (AP Photo/Kevin Frayer)
39. A man sells blended chili in a traditional market which was damaged by an earthquake in Padang, West Sumatra province October 5, 2009. (REUTERS/Enny Nuraheni)
40. An Indonesian student cries as she and fellow students pray at their school after it reopened for classes following an earthquake in Padang, West Sumatra province October 5, 2009. (REUTERS/Dadang Tri)
Posts
