The toll in the earthquake of magnitude 6.4 on the Richter scale that struck Indonesia early on Wednesday has risen to 97, Army chief Major General Tatang Sulaiman said. Dozens of buildings were reduced to rubble in the quake and the five aftershocks in Sumatra Island in Indonesia’s northern province of Aceh. The toll is expected to rise as rescuers pull more more bodies trapped in debris, AP reported.

According to the United States Geological Survey, the earthquake struck at a depth of 17 km on Aceh’s northeastern coast around 5 am (local time). “The earthquake was felt strongly, and many people panicked and rushed outdoors as houses collapsed,” said Sutopo Nugroho of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency.

The district of Pidie Jaya, which is facing a power outage, was affected the worst in the temblor. The director of a local hospital said, “We are cooperating with the local Army and police, who lent us stretchers for the victims.” The disaster mitigation body said hundreds were injured in the disaster.

Moreover, the head of the local disaster mitigation agency in Pidie Jaya, Apriadi, told Jakarta Post that rescue operations were hampered by lack of equipment. “The heavy equipment is at other agencies. It is difficult to quickly deploy, but our officers are ready anytime,” he said.

Of the several buildings damaged was the dome of the Dayah Mudi Mesra Samalanga Mosque and a building of STAI Al-Aziziah Islamic University, reported Jakarta Post. Although there is no tsunami alert, people in the town of Sigli fled their houses and moved away from the sea. “We are now evacuating to Tijue [about 3 km from Sigli] because we are afraid of a tsunami,” local resident Nilawati told AFP.

Indonesia, especially Aceh province, is prone to earthquakes as it lies in the Pacific Ring of Fire. In 2004, it was hit by a 9.2-magnitude temblor that had triggered a devastating tsunami in the region. More than 1.2 lakh people were killed in Aceh alone. In June this year, eight people were injured and several buildings were damaged when a 6.5-magnitude earthquake had hit Sumatra.