Within 24 hours of a massive quake which devastated much of the city of Padang the Indonesian island of Sumatra has been rocked by a second tremor.
 

The first quake is known to have killed more than 500 people so far although the toll is expected to rise as thousands remain trapped under the rubble according to Indonesian government agencies.

This second tremor meausured 6.8 on the Richter scale - the first was stronger at 7.6.

Hundreds of buildings collapsed on Thursday during the first incident - badly hit was the city of Padang. TV pictures show widespread devastation.

A spokesman for Indonesia's National Disaster Agency said 100- 200 people had died in Padang after more than 500 buildings collpased during the first strike.

Communication to the region was hampered as power lines were cut but partner stations of Radio Netherlands Worldwide's Indonesian department confirm the widespread devastation.

One of Radio Netherlands Worldwide's partner stations in Padang, PCA Radio, told our Indonesian department that the situation in the city is "very serious" and that thousands of buildings, offices and houses have been destroyed.
 

Indonesian TV footage:

2004
A 9.15 magnitude quake, with its epicentre roughly 600 km (373 miles) northwest of Padang, caused the 2004 tsunami which killed 232,000 people in Indonesia's Aceh province, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, and other countries across the Indian Ocean.
 

The depth of Wednesday's earthquake was 85 km (53 miles), the United States Geological Survey said. It revised down the magnitude of the quake from 7.9 to 7.6.

A series of tsunamis earlier on Wednesday smashed into the Pacific island nations of American and Western Samoa, and Tonga killing possibly more than 100 people, some washed out to sea, destroying villages and injuring hundreds.
 

Geologists have long said Padang may one day be destroyed by a huge earthquake because of its location.
 

"Padang sits right in front of the area with the greatest potential for an 8.9 magnitude earthquake," said Danny Hilman Natawidjaja, a geologist at the Indonesian Science Institute, in February.
 

"The entire city could drown" in a tsunami triggered by such a quake, he warned.
 

Several earthquake-prone parts of the country hold tsunami practice drills, and the national disaster service sends alerts via telephone text messages to subscribers.
 

But some experts have long said Indonesia needs to do more to reduce the risk of catastrophe.

RNW and News Agencies

(Photo: ANP)