Some 264,708 houses damaged by West Sumatra`s earthquake

Padang (ANTARA News) - As many as 264,708 houses were damaged by a 7.6-magnitude earthquake which devastated West Sumatra on September 30, 2009.

According to data from the West Sumatra natural disaster mitigation task force (Satkorlak) until Sunday noon, approximately 135,248 houses were destroyed.

West Sumatra`s Satkorlak Coordinator Ade Edwar in Padang said that Padang Pariaman District and Padang City were the worst affected by the deadly quake.

"In Padang Pariaman District, around 239,806 houses were damaged in Padang City 152,966 houses" he said.

In Agam District, the number of damaged houses is around 20,572 units, and in Pariaman City about 12,328 houses.

Other damaged houses were also found in Bukit Tinggi (230 houses), Padang Panjang sub district (2,942), Tanah Datar (3,428), Agam (20,572), Solok (745), Pasaman (1,085), West Pasaman (10,530), and Pesisir Selatan (27,080).

Meanwhile the death toll continued to rise to 807 people in West Sumatra according to data collected until Sunday noon.

Most fatalities were found in Padang Pariaman District with 359 deaths, and Padang City with 314 deaths.

The earthquake also seriously injured 572 people and 528 others lightly in the Padang Pariaman District.

Indonesia is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.