Dozens of buildings collapse after 6.5 quake in Indonesia

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At least ten people have died in the earthquake, according to the head of the civil protection agency, 9news Australia reports.

Photo: earthquake.usgs.gov

The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) confirmed that “several buildings” collapsed, including at least 10 shops and four houses in Pidie Jaya which lies in the Aceh special region of Indonesia. In addition electric poles as well as a Mosque in Bireuen district were damaged, BNPB said.

The shallow 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck at 5:03am local time. It was centered about 10 kilometers north of Reuleut in northern Aceh, at a depth of 17.2 kilometers, the US Geological Survey said. At least five aftershocks followed the quake, according to the local head of the Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics.

Dozens of buildings collapse after 6.5 quake in Indonesia.

"The earthquake was felt strongly and many people panicked and rushed outdoors as houses collapsed," Sutopo Nugroho of the national disaster management agency (BNPB) said in a statement cited by Reuters.

While no tsunami warning was issued, the powerful earthquake caused heavy structural damage, with reports of casualties coming in.