Another earthquake hits Sumatra

Early Thursday morning — shortly before nine o'clock local time — another major earthquake shook the cities and villages of western Sumatra. That 6.8 magnitude earthquake came only about 15 hours after a 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck the same region, killing at least 1,100 people so far, injuring 500 and trapping thousands more under collapsed buildings.

The Indonesian Health Minister speculated that the destruction and loss of life from these earthquakes might surpass the 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake, which killed more than 5,000 people. In devastated areas of Sumatra, widespread electrical and communications outages — as well as fallen bridges and blocked roads — are slowing news from on the ground and hindering relief efforts.

"What we're hearing from Padang is sporadic," said Mercy Corps Indonesia's Country Director, Sean Granville-Ross. "It's difficult, communications are down. What we have heard is this was a huge earthquake and there has been significant damage."

Mercy Corps has an office in Padang that was out of contact for much of Wednesday. An emergency team from Jakarta was scheduled to arrive in Padang on Thursday morning, and we are waiting to hear from them.

Our staff in Indonesia and around the world is staying up-to-date on the latest developments, and will bring you updates from the ground and news of our emergency response as we receive it.