Five killed in Indonesian quakes

Jakarta, April 12 (IANS) Five people were killed and four injured in Aceh province Wednesday after two massive quakes struck off Indonesia, officials said Thursday.

"Five people were killed... one in Banda Aceh, three in Aceh Besar and one in Lhoksemawe," Wahyudi, an official of disaster management and mitigation agency in Aceh province, told Xinhua by phone.

Two massive earthquakes of 8.6 and 8.2 magnitude on the Richter scale struck off Indonesia Wednesday, triggering a tsunami alert in 28 Indian Ocean Rim countries, including India. The temblors brought back terrifying memories of the 2004 tsunami that left over 200,000 dead.

Wahyudi said the quake damaged a wall of the prison in the provincial capital of Banda Aceh, but there were no reports of prisoners escaping the building.

One bridge in West Aceh collapsed and four people suffered injuries in Simeuleu islands of Aceh, said an official at the headquarters of the agency in Jakarta.

Emergency relief aids have been prepared and are ready for distribution as officials of the agency have been deployed in three provinces -- Aceh, West Sumatra and North Sumatra.

TV reports said five warships had been readied for distribution of aid when needed.