Latest -quake And Aftershocks - Bbc World News

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Powerful aftershocks hit Sumatra Padang suffered considerable damageA second strong earthquake has hit the Indonesian island of Sumatra, a day after an 8.4 magnitude tremor destroyed buildings in several towns and cities.

At least six people are confirmed dead, but officials fear bad communications may be hiding the scale of the impact.

Wednesday's quake was measured by US officials as magnitude 8.4, and a new tremor of 7.7 hit on Thursday.

Many buildings, weakened in the first tremor, are now reported to have been destroyed in the city of Padang.

"Many buildings collapsed after this morning's quake," mayor Fauzi Bahar told a local radio station.

"We're still trying to find out about victims."

Three people are reported trapped in a collapsed three-storey office building, the mayor said.

But despite several warnings since the first earthquake, there have so far been no tsunamis.

The initial quake sparked warnings across the Indian Ocean, but only a small wave surge hit Sumatra, causing little damage.

A new tsunami warning came into force on Thursday morning, after the latest aftershock, but it was withdrawn two hours later.

However, a fresh warning has now been issued, after another magnitude 6.7 aftershock.

Buildings destroyed

Information about damage caused by Wednesday's earthquake is still patchy and assessment of many areas is hampered by darkness and communication problems, says the BBC's Lucy Williamson in Jakarta.

Many of the stricken areas are remote, and it may take some time to find out how bad the situation is.

Health officials in the capital, Jakarta, say teams carrying food and medicine are travelling to the area and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has ordered an emergency team from the army and police.

A United Nations assessment team is also departing for Sumatra, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement.

Wednesday's main earthquake struck at 1810 (1110 GMT), about 30km (18 miles) under the sea, some 130km (80 miles) south-west of the city of Bengkulu, the US Geological Survey said.

Local media said buildings had collapsed in Padang, the capital of the province of West Sumatra, and in the town of Mukomuko.

"At least one person died when he was hit by a falling tree when they were evacuating after the quake," Salamun Haris, an official from North Bengkulu district, told ElShinta radio.

Inhabitants also fled swaying buildings in the capital Jakarta, 600km (370 miles) away, and in Singapore.

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"You could see the road as if it was waving, people could hardly walk so they just lay flat on the road. I could also feel the earth I was standing on was like the sea," Zulkifli Lubis, a local journalist in Bengkulu, told the BBC.

There were reports of a small tsunami - estimated at about 1m (3ft) - hitting the Sumatran coast but not causing major damage.

But about two hours after the quake, Indonesia's meteorology agency said the danger of a serious tsunami had passed. India and Sri Lanka also called off tsunami warnings.

Fearful memories

This was one of the most powerful earthquakes in Indonesia since the temblor that caused the Asian tsunami in 2004.

That measured 8.9 and struck under the sea near the northern Sumatran province of Aceh, triggering a tsunami that killed more than 220,000 people around the rim of the Indian Ocean.

Our correspondent says quakes on this scale are rare and memories of 2004 have made the country terrified of a repeat. Indonesia, part of the seismically active Pacific "Ring of Fire", is frequently shaken by earth tremors.