Indonesia's Padang quake different from previous ones: expert

The recent 7.6-magnitude quake that jolted West Sumatra's capital city Padang and surrounding areas was particularly different compared to those previous in that area, an Indonesian earthquake expert said here on Thursday.

In the interview with Metro TV, Sri Widyanto, an earthquake expert at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), said Wednesday's quake was caused by a breaking ground plate at the seabed.

"The other quakes in Aceh 2004, Nias in 2005 and Bengkulu in 2007 were caused by shifting ground," Sri said, adding that it explained why the quake was so devastating.

He said such a quake condition was recognized as "Intra Plate" quake model.

According to the expert, the aftershock that occurred around the initial epicenter was a common phenomenon in Intra Plate quakemodel.

The death toll from Wednesday's quake has reached more than 200with thousands of others still trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings.

Rescue operations are now underway. Indonesian troops, police and rescue teams participated in the operations.

The government has deployed medics and set up emergency tents to provide preliminary health services for the wounded people.

Source:Xinhua