Indonesia surveys damage after twin quakes leave residents shaken

Residents in Indonesia were shaken into mass panic after two powerful earthquakes hit the island’s east and west coast on Wednesday. The earthquakes, one an 8.6-magnitude and the other an aftershock of 8.2, reminded residents of the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that killed more than 200,000 people in 14 countries. Five people died from heart attacks in Indonesia’s westernmost province of Aceh, which was closest to the epicenter of the fierce shaking, and several other people were injured as they tried to flee to higher grounds.

Aside from cracks in the walls of houses and some structural damage to one bridge, residents told reporters that it almost felt like nothing happened. Usman Basya, a 45-year-old who lost one of his sons in the 2004 disaster, said, “I really feel my prayers were answered. I’m so grateful. We’ve gone through enough trauma already.” Indonesia, a nation with roughly 240 million people, sits beside a series of fault lines, making it one of the most seismically active places on the planet. The power of Wednesday’s quakes triggered a tsunami watch in countries all along the Indian Ocean, from Australia to Pakistan, and all the way to Africa. “Yesterday, as I was running out of my house, I could see the tsunami coming in my mind, the entire village again being destroyed. That it didn’t happen really feels like a blessing,” said an Indonesian resident.