Meureudu, Aceh (ANTARA News) - Twenty nine mosques collapsed in Pidie Jaya District in Aceh province following the 6.5-magnitude earthquake that rocked several districts in the region on Wednesday, an official has said.

There are 71 mosques in Pidie Jaya District, Nazir, head of the Islamic Affairs Office, said here on Friday.

"In addition to the 29 seriously damaged, 28 mosques suffered slight damage," Nazir disclosed, adding that a number of Muslims performed their Friday prayers in front of the collapsed mosques.

He hoped that the government and the society will help rebuild the mosques, which are spread all over the district.

The death toll in the quake now stands at 103.

Some eight thousand inhabitants were injured in the disaster, some of them seriously, and they were evacuated and given medical treatment, acting Governor of Aceh Soedarmo said here on Thursday while accompanying Home Affairs Minister Tjahjo Kumolo on a visit to the affected areas.

The victims are residents of the sub-districts of Pante Raja, Bandar Dua, Tringgadeng, Meureudu, Bandar Baru and Alee Glee.

The National Meteorological, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency reported that the quake was triggered by a strike-slip fault movement.

The earthquake, which destroyed several houses, school buildings, and places of worship, occurred at 5:03 am local time on Wednesday with its epicenter on land at 5.19 degrees northern latitude and 96.36 degrees eastern longitude, at a depth of 10 kilometers, some 18 km northeast of Pidie Jaya. ***4***

Reported by Irman Yusuf

(B003/INE/B003)

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