MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

3.000 dead as quake rocks Indonesia

A powerful earthquake flattened buildings in central Indonesia, killing at least 3.000 people and injuring thousands more in the country's worst disaster since the 2004 tsunami.

The magnitude 6.2 quake struck near the ancient city of Yogyakarta as many people slept, causing death and damage in many nearby towns.

Roads and bridges were destroyed, hindering efforts to get the wounded to hospitals. Some telephone lines also were cut.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono ordered the army to help evacuate victims, as panicked residents ran into the smouldering streets, many clutching young children.

He said he would head to the disaster zone in Central Java province later on Saturday.

Nine hours after the quake struck, the number of dead stood at 2,517, said Direvan, an official in the Social Affairs Ministry's task force office, with two thirds of the fatalities in the devastated district of Bantul.

"The numbers just keep rising," said Arifin Muhadi of the Indonesian Red Cross, adding that nearly 2,900 people were hurt.

Doctors struggled to care for the injured, hundreds of whom were lying on plastic sheets, straw mats and even newspapers outside the overcrowded hospitals, some hooked to intravenous drips dangling from trees.

"We need help here," said Kusmarwanto of Bantul Muhammadiyah Hospital, the closest hospital to the quake's epicentre, adding that his hospital alone had 39 bodies.

At nearby Dr. Sardjito Hospital, health officials tallied 60 dead, but more bodies were lined up in the hallway and some family members were taking them home before they could be added to the official toll.

(Agencies)