On July 2, 2013, a 6.

1 magnitude earthquake struck the province of Aceh on the Indonesian

island of Sumatra. The quake killed at least 35 people and injured 276 others. Approximately
4,300 homes were damaged or destroyed
Earthquakes are common in Sumatra as it lies at the convergent boundary where the Sunda
Plate is subducting beneath the Indo-Australian Plate. The plates are converging obliquely at a
rate of 60 mm per year and the right lateral component is accommodated by strike-slip faulting
within Sumatra, mainly on the Great Sumatran fault. In 2004, Sumatra was devastated by the
SumatraAndaman earthquake and resulting tsunami that killed tens of thousands in the area
and 230,000 people around the Indian Ocean. In 2009, an earthquake near Padang on Sumatra
killed more than 1,000. In April 2012, an 8.6-magnitude quake killed five people in Aceh
At 2:37pm local time (07:37 UTC) on July 2, 2013, a 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck at a depth
of 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) with an epicenter near Sumatra's northwestern tip, 55 kilometres (34
mi) south of Bireun.It occurred on the Semangko Fault. The quake lasted approximately 15
seconds and was felt from regional capital Banda Aceh to Bener Meriah. The quake was powerful
enough to cause concern in Banda Aceh, 320 miles (510 km) from the epicenter, and shaking
was felt as far as Malaysia. At least fifteen aftershocks occurred, with three powerful ones
registering magnitudes of 4.3, 5.5 and 5.2
The GoI reports that the earthquake resulted in 42 deaths and displaced more than 53,000
people. Six people remain missing. In total, the earthquake damaged more than 20,000 houses
and public buildings. In Bener Meriah and Central Aceh districts, which were hit hardest by the
earthquake, nearly 6,600 houses were heavily damaged, nearly 3,700 houses were moderately
damaged and more than 8,700 houses received minor damage from the quake. The earthquake
impacted nearly 340 villages.
On July 17, the GoI announced the end of the emergency response phase and a transition to the
early recovery phase, which will be in effect until August 10. The U.N. Office for the Coordination
of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) reports that people in the worst-affected areas, as well as
those who have been difficult to access, will continue to receive emergency relief assistance, as
needed. The transition to early recovery will begin with a Post-Disaster Needs Assessment
(PDNA) that the GoI National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) plans to conduct with support
from the U.N. Development Program and the World Bank. The assessment will focus on damaged
housing and public buildings, as well as early recovery needs, such as livelihoods and local
economic recovery, environmental impacts, disaster risk reduction and the need for ongoing
psychosocial support.
Aceh Province regularly experiences earthquakes. Indonesia is located on the Pacific Ring of
Fire where the collision of tectonic plates causes frequent seismic and volcanic activity,
according to international media. In 2004, a 9.1 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Sumatra
trigged a tsunami that killed approximately 230,000 people around the Indian Ocean. The July 2
earthquake did not pose a tsunami threat.
Tuesday's quake struck at a depth of 10 kilometers (about 6.2 miles) in a mountainous area near
Sumatra's northwestern tip, the U.S. Geological Survey said. It was followed by at least two
aftershocks of magnitude 5.2 and 5.3.
Indonesia is on the Ring of Fire, an arc of fault lines circling the Pacific Basin that is prone to
frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

The magnitude-6.1 quake struck at a depth of just 6 miles and its epicenter was located 34 miles
west of the town of Bireun on the western tip of Sumatra island, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The worst-hit area was the district of Bener Meriah, where the quake caused a landslide that
killed a man and left his wife and a young boy missing, said Fauzi, an official of the local disaster
agency.
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia - Indonesian authorities say the death toll from a strong earthquake in a
western province has risen to 22. The magnitude-6.1 quake Tuesday injured more than 200 other
people and damaged more than 1,500 houses and buildings in Aceh province. Sutopo Purwo
Nugroho of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency said 12 people were killed and 70 others
were injured by a landslide or collapsing buildings in the worst-hit area of Bener Meriah. He said
10 more people were killed and 140 injured in neighboring Central Aceh district, where about
1,500 houses and buildings were damaged. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon
for further information. AP's earlier story is below. A strong earthquake felled buildings and
caused landslides in western Indonesia, killing at least six people and injuring more than 200
others. More than 300 houses and buildings were damaged across Aceh province, and rescuers
were looking for people trapped in the debris. The magnitude-6.1 quake struck Tuesday
afternoon at a depth of just 10 kilometers (6 miles) and was centered 55 kilometers (34 miles)
west of the town of Bireun on the western tip of Sumatra island, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
Five people were killed and 70 others were injured by a landslide or collapsing buildings in Bener
Meriah, the worst-hit area, said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho of the National Disaster Mitigation
Agency. He said two people were missing in the landslide. Another person was killed and 140
injured in neighboring Central Aceh district, Nugroho said. At least 25 of the injured in Bener
Meriah were hospitalized in intensive care, deputy district chief Rusli M. Saleh said. "We are now
concentrating on searching for people who may be trapped under the rubble," Saleh said. More
than 100 houses and buildings were damaged in the district, he said. "I see many houses were
damaged and their roofs fell onto some people," said Bensu Elianita, a 22-year-old resident of
Bukit Sama village in Central Aceh district. "Many people were injured, but it is difficult to
evacuate them due to traffic jams." She said people in the village ran out of their homes in panic
and screamed for help. At least two houses were totally flattened, she said, and the power failed
in the village. The quake also caused concern among officials attending a meeting of the Asia
Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Medan, the capital of neighboring North Sumatra
province. They were escorted from the second-floor meeting room by security officers. Indonesia
is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an arc of volcanoes
and fault lines encircling the Pacific Ocean.
In 2004, a magnitude-9.1 earthquake off Aceh triggered a tsunami that killed 230,000 people in
14 countries.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Aceh_earthquake
http://reliefweb.int/report/indonesia/indonesia-earthquake-situation-report-no-5-july-24-2013
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/usb000j0vl
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/07/04/world/asia/indonesia-earthquake/index.html
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/07/02/world/asia/indonesia-earthquake
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/07/02/strong-earthquake-hits-indonesia-aceh-province/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/21/mexico-earthquake2013_n_3789731.html#slide=1458930
http://www.wkyc.com/news/story.aspx?storyid=305187

42 dead, hundreds injured as earthquake hits Indonesia