Roundup: Rescue underway in western Indonesian province hit by strong earthquake

Rescuers on early Thursday resumed the search for survivors in a powerful earthquake that hit the western Indonesian province of Aceh, killing at least 97 people.

Rescue workers, soldiers and police, using excavators or bare hands, scrabbled through the rubble of devastated buildings in the search halted by rain and blackout during night.

The 6.5 magnitude shallow underland quake occurred at 05:03 a.m. Wednesday (2203 GMT Tuesday) also left over 600 people injured and over 200 homes, mosques and other buildings damaged.

Dozens of people were trapped under the debris of dozens of toppled buildings, Military Commander for Iskandar Muda Command Maj. General Tatang Sulaiman earlier told Xinhua by phone from the worst-hit Pidie Jaya district, which is about 18 km off the quake's epicenter.

"We dispatched around 1,050 military personnel for this operation, and about 900 personnel from police, disaster agency and search and rescue office are also deployed," said the army chief in Aceh province.

Scores of heavy machinery equipment have been sent to help in the disaster relief, said Apriadi, an official at the local disaster agency.

Residents of Pidie Jaya, homeless or for fear of aftershocks, spent the night outdoors or in tents and other temporary shelters. The rescue work was concentrated in Meureudu, a local town severely affected.

Media reports said hundreds of injured people overwhelmed the sole hospital in Pidie Jaya. Medical staff including volunteers are struggling to cope with the situation.

At least five aftershocks were reportedly felt after the initial quake.

A state of emergency has been declared for two weeks in Aceh, which is located on the northern tip of Sumatra island, an area often hit by earthquakes.

In December 2004, a magnitude 9.1 undersea earthquake struck off Sumatra, triggering a tsunami that caused a death toll of more than 170,000 people in Indonesia, more than 100,000 of them in Aceh.

President Joko Widodo was expected to visit the disaster area on

Thursday, said media reports. Some humanitarian aid was reaching the hard hit areas.

Food, tents and clothes will be among the first relief to arrive, Indonesian Social Minister Khofifah Indar Parawansa said Wednesday, adding that about 33,000 volunteers will be sent to Pidie Jaya. Endi