LAMPAHAN: The death toll from a strong 6.1-magnitude earthquake that struck the Indonesian province of Aceh has climbed to 22, a disaster official said on Wednesday.

“So far 22 people have died, 210 people were injured, and thousands of buildings and homes were damaged in the quake (on Tuesday),” National Disaster Management Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said in a text message.

The casualties were spread over the two worst-hit districts of Central Aceh and Bener Meriah, the agency said.

In Central Aceh, six children were killed and 14 others were trapped when a mosque collapsed as they were having a Koran reading session, officials in the district said.

A huge quake struck off Aceh in 2004, sparking a tsunami that killed 170,000 people in the province on Sumatra and tens of thousands more in countries around the Indian Ocean.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” where continental plates collide, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.

Opinion

Editorial

Exit strategy
Updated 18 Mar, 2026

Exit strategy

MOST members of the international community, particularly states in the greater Middle East, are gravely concerned...
Unsafe trains
18 Mar, 2026

Unsafe trains

SUNDAY’S accident involving the Shalimar Express has once again brought into sharp focus the deep structural and...
Disappointment in Dhaka
18 Mar, 2026

Disappointment in Dhaka

FOR a side looking for lift-off after a disappointing T20 World Cup, it was despair for Shaheen Shah Afridi’s ...
Missing in action
17 Mar, 2026

Missing in action

NOT exactly known for playing a proactive role in protecting the interests of Muslim nations and populations...
Risk to stability
Updated 17 Mar, 2026

Risk to stability

THE risks to Pakistan’s fragile economic recovery from the US-Israel war on Iran cannot be dismissed. Yet the...
Enrolment push
17 Mar, 2026

Enrolment push

THE federal government has embarked upon the welcome initiative to enrol 25,000 out-of-school children in Islamabad...