Powerful Quakes Rock Indonesia

Temblor struck off Papua New Guinea

(AP) - Indonesia says it issued a tsunami warning after a powerful quake hit off Papua New Guinea. The US Geological Survey says the quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.8 and was centered 325 miles northeast of the capital, Port Morseby. It struck 31 miles beneath the ocean floor. Fauzi, an official with Indonesia's geological agency, says his country issued a tsunami warning after the quake. More»

Samoa tsunami cleanup effort begins in earnest

(NEWSER) - The death toll in Indonesia has reached 1,100 and is expected to keep rising. Rescue workers are scrambling to find earthquake survivors under trapped buildings, with "many hundreds more" injured or missing, says a top UN relief official. Rescue efforts have been hung up over a shortage of heavy equipment, along with damaged roads, bridges, and hospitals, reports the BBC. Further clouding the picture, a 6.8-magnitude quake struck this morning; no casualties have been reported as a result. More»

Rescuers scramble to save victims trapped by two massive shakers

(NEWSER) - The final death toll in two massive Indonesia earthquakes may reach into the thousands as rescuers scramble to free victims still trapped in crushed buildings. "We need aid as soon as possible. We need food and medicine. Our houses have collapsed," said a resident of the bustling port city of Padang, where the first 7.6 magnitude hit Wednesday, toppling hundreds of buildings, and felling bridges. Blocked roads and downed communications were hampering frantic rescue efforts in heavy rain. More»

Second earthquake near Indonesia triggers new wave warnings

(NEWSER) - The death toll from the tsunami triggered by last night's 8.3-magnitude earthquake near Samoa has risen to more than 100, with fatalities reported across a number of islands. Barack Obama declared American Samoa a disaster area and has pledged "swift and aggressive" aid to the territory, where at least 25 people are dead. "There's not a building standing" in one Samoan beach village, a New Zealander said. "There will be people in a great lot of need around here." More»

(NEWSER) - A powerful 7.4 earthquake today swayed buildings 125 miles south in Indonesia's capital city of Jakarta and triggered a tsunami alert, reports AP. There were no immediate reports of large waves, but several buildings in the town closest to the epicenter, Tasikmalaya, were damaged. More»