NEW DELHI, Dec 7: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today offered all assistance to Indonesia which was hit by a powerful earthquake, killing nearly 100 people and causing widespread destruction.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Aceh over the calamity today. India stands ready to render any assistance required,” Modi tweeted.
An earthquake of 6.5-magnitude struck Pidie Jaya district in Aceh province in Indonesia at dawn.
“So far 97 people have been killed and the number keeps growing,” Aceh military chief Tatang Sulaiman told AFP.
“When we retrieve bodies sometimes there’s five, sometimes 10 corpses.”
More than 1,000 soldiers and about 900 police have been deployed to the worst-hit areas to set up shelters and evacuation points, he added.
Hundreds of houses and shops had been levelled by the quake, leaving countless people homeless and in need of basic supplies like food and water, officials said. (PTI)
Follow our WhatsApp channel