A 6.1 magnitude earthquake shook Indonesia's Aceh province Tuesday, leaving more than six people dead, with more than 200 others severely injured.
Officials in the Southeast Asian country said that upwards of 300 buildings and houses in the area sustained damages at the hands of the earth-shaker, the Washington Post reported.
The quake hit with a 10 kilometers-about six miles-depth and a center of around 34 miles west of the town Bireun.
Five people were reported dead and 70 injured due to landslide or collapsed building in Bener Meriah, an area hit worst by the strong earthquake. According to Sutopo Purwo Nugroho of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, who spoke with the Washington Post after the shake occurred, two people are still missing in the slide of dirt and debris.
One person was killed, along with 140 injured in the nearby Central Aceh distric, Nugroho reported.
25 were reported to be in Bener Meriah's intensive care, but there could be more, deputy district chief Rusli M. Saleh said.
"We are now concentrating on searching for people who may be trapped under the rubble," Saleh said. In that particular district, at least 100 buildings and houses were left damaged by the earthquake.
"I see many houses were damaged and their roofs fell onto some people," resident of Bukit Sama village in Central Aceh Bensu Elianita said. "Many people were injured, but it is difficult to evacuate them due to traffic jams."
She also reported that residents of the district flew out of their houses, panicked, yelling and crying for help once the earthquake hit. Two houses that she saw were completely flattened, while power outages struck the village hard.
Indonesia is an area that is susceptible to heavy earthquake activity, as it sits right on the Pacific Ring of Fire-a circle of volcanoes and faults arcing around the Pacific Ocean.
