The Wire

A large earthquake measuring 8.7 on the Richter scale struck the west coast of the Indonesian island Sumatra early this morning, causing widespread damage along the northern tip of that country and in particular, on the small island of Nias. While fears of another tsunami were unfounded, the level of destruction in the worst hit areas has been high. 80% of the multi-story buildings in Gunung Sitoli, the main city of Nias, have reportedly been destroyed. The number of casualties following the earthquake is still unclear, although some reports are suggesting it may be as high as 2,000 dead. Aly-Khan Rajani of CARE Australia, says the reality will become clear as the clean-up progresses. He spoke to Bill Birtles from Banda Aceh