Death toll reaches 95,000 in Indonesia
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-01-03 14:16

Some 95,000 people died after an extremely powerful earthquake rocked Aceh province in Indonesia last Sunday morning, unleashing tidal waves and tsunami, the Indonesian health ministry said on Monday.

"The highest figure today is 95,000 people who died," an official in charge from data center of the ministry Bambang Subekti told Xinhua through telephone.

The rise of figure was caused by the opening access to some isolated areas, where officials found more bodies, Subekti said.

Meanwhile, Syafei Ahmad, a senior official of the ministry said that his ministry was attempting to prevent the spread of epidemic, by supplying sufficient nutrition and medicine to people in Aceh.

A powerful earthquake of 8.7 at Richter degree shocked many parts of the provinces of North Sumatra and Aceh, Indonesia around 08:00 (local time) on Dec. 26.

Sunday's quake was the third major to hit Indonesia after Nabire in Papua on Nov. 26 which killed some 30 people and Alor in East Nusa Tenggara on Nov. 12, which killed at least 32 people.