Indonesia Quake Death Toll May Reach 4 000 – UN Officials

A 7,6-magnitude quake struck Sumatra on Wednesday and a 6,6-magnitude earthquake hit Thursday morning in the same region. Photo by BGNES

As many as 4 000 people could be buried under the rubble in the aftermath of the devastating earthquakes in Indonesia.

The estimates have come Saturday from a United Nations officials, CNN reported.

Local government and UN officials said the death toll from the quakes ranged from 750 to 770.

Earlier UN figures that put the death toll at 1 100 were just estimates, said El-Mostafa Benlamlih, a UN humanitarian coordinator.

Indonesia's health ministry and ministry of social affairs said Friday they believe thousands remain buried beneath rubble.

A 7,6-magnitude quake struck Sumatra on Wednesday and a 6,6-magnitude earthquake hit Thursday morning in the same region.

Officials believe 90 percent of the residents, as many as a few hundred people, were buried, just one piece of the devastation from two large earthquakes that struck Indonesia in as many days.

The West Sumatran capital, Padang, with about a million residents, is near the epicenter.

President Obama spoke with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Friday after trying several times to reach him, the White House said.

The UN's Holmes told reporters Thursday that hundreds are believed to be injured. "These numbers, I fear, will rise as more information becomes available," he added.

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