Tarutung, North Sumatra (ANTARA News) - An aftershock measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale rocked North Tapanuli district, North Sumatra, on Saturday, exacerbating the damage caused by two previous earthquakes, a spokesman said.

The epicenter of the aftershock which occurred at 06.58 p.m. on Saturday was located 30 km southeast of Tarutung town at a depth of 10 km, Head of the North Tapanuli District Natural Disaster Mitigation Board (BPBD) Tumbur Hutabarat said on Saturday.

The aftershock claimed no lives but it shocked local people, he said.

He said the aftershock worsened house buildings damaged by Tuesday`s 5.5-magnitude quakes, causing a number of people to stay at tents set up by the BPBD and other relevant agencies.

By Saturday evening the number of houses damaged by the two quakes rose to 1,941 from 846, head of the North Tapanuli district administration`s public relations service Jahormat Lumangaol said.

The figure might increase as officers were still recording houses damaged by the quakes affecting the western coastal areas of North Sumatra, he said.

Head of the North Tapanuli district education office Joskar Limbong said on Friday 124 class rooms of elementary, junior and senior high schools and vocational schools in the four sub-districts of Pahae Jae, Pahae Julu, Purba Tua and Simangumban, were lightly and seriously damaged.

Because of the damage to school buildings at least 1,500 elementary and junior high school students took exams in emergency tents, head of the North Sumatra provincial education office Syaiful Syafri said.
(T.KR-JRD/S012/H-NG/S012)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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