JAKARTA: Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono welcomes Malaysia and other countries to help provide emergency aid to victims of the 7.6 magnitude earthquake which hit the western Sumatra province yesterday.
He hoped that in the spirit of Asean cooperation, the neighbouring countries could provide immediate aid to areas affected by the disaster.
He said this on arrival at the Halim Perdanakusumah Airport here on his return from a working visit to the United States of America and meeting with his cabinet ministers.
A report by detikcom quoted Susilo as saying that Indonesia appreciated the offer of assistance from neighbouring countries.
He said when an earthquake of 7.2 on the Richter scale hit West Java last month, the Indonesia government rejected foreign assistance because the incident was not serious.
Meanwhile, National Defence Forces (TNI) Chief Gen Joko Santoso said several countries had offered to send their soldiers to help find victims still trapped in the rubble.
The armed forces in Malaysia, Australia, Singapore and America had offered assistance for evacuation process, he added.
Meanwhile, the death toll in the earthquake has yet to be ascertained with reports giving the figures at 215 to almost 500 people as at noon today while the search and rescue mission is still in progress.
The Indonesia government, however, estimated the death toll to be in thousands as many of the victims were still trapped under the rubble of more than 1,000 buildings, including hotels and houses, which were damaged in the incident.
As at noon today, the local authority estimated more than 100 people to be still trapped in Hotel Ambacang, when the building collapsed, and more than 60 students, in a three-storey building which housed their tuition classes.
Information released by the disaster centre at the west Sumatra governor's office confirmed 215 people were killed in three locations worst hit by the quake -- Kota Padang (139), Padang Pariaman (62) and Kota Pariaman (14).
This morning, several tremors of between 5.1 and 7.0 on the Richter scale in several location in Sumatra.
The Indonesian authority has declared an emergency in the western Sumatra province and various assistance, include medicine, food and beverages, had been sent to the area. - Bernama
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