Earthquakes in Sumatra / Indonesia on September 30 and October 1, 2009

On September 30, 2009, a severe earthquake took place in the Indian Ocean with a magnitude of 7.9 and several aftershocks. The epicentre was registered about 50 km north-eastern of Padang in a depth of 85 km. Heavy shocks caused the collapse of many buildings and bridges, fires broke out and major parts of the technical infrastructure failed. More than 770 people died, much more than 2100 are injured (information of October 2, 2009). A second quake with a magnitude of 6.6 occured hours later on October 1 near the town of Sungai Penuh. Here as well, hundreds of houses were damaged, two people died and a large number became injured or homeless. Strong rain made rescue work difficult and caused landslides in some areas of the affected region. Severe damage is reported from the city of Pariaman, about 50 km north of Padang. The International Charter on Space and Major Disasters was triggered to provide post-disaster satellite imagery for damage mapping and to support the aid response.