At least 770 people have died and 2300 injured as a result of devastating 7.6 magnitude earthquake which struck Indonesia’s Sumatra  island.  The earthquake was followed by a number of aftershocks including two which were of 6.0 magnitude.

The people are trapped under collapsed buildings, schools and houses. The electricity supply has been cut off.  The quake also caused landslides which destroyed houses.

The quake struck at 2:55 pm local time on the southern coast of the main island of Java with a preliminary magnitude of 7.9.  The shocks were felt in capital Jakarta, about 950 km away from the epicenter, causing panic among office workers who evacuated the buildings.

In December 2004, a massive earthquake off western Indonesia caused a powerful tsunami  killing around 230,000 people in a number of surrounding countries.