Dozens of buildings collapse as 6.4 quake hits near Indonesian town

JAKARTA — Dozens of buildings collapsed on Wednesday in Indonesia's northern province of Aceh, when a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck in the early hours.

"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, adding that few injuries, and no deaths, had been reported.

Social media images showed buildings reduced to rubble, fallen electricity poles, and people gathering outside at street corners.

The United States Geological Survey said the quake struck at a depth of 17 kilometers on Aceh's northeastern coast. No tsunami warning was issued.

At least five aftershocks were felt in the hours after the initial quake, the disaster management agency said.

The region suffered massive destruction in 2004 when a quake of magnitude 9.2 triggered a tsunami that wiped out entire communities in Indonesia and other countries around the Indian Ocean.

Indonesia was the hardest hit, with more than 120,000 people killed in Aceh alone. —Reuters