The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Thu, 10/01/2009 5:23 PM  |  National

The government has declared evacuation of victims the top priority of humanitarian efforts in Padang and Pariaman following a 7.6-magnitude earthquake that rattled the West Sumatra towns on Wednesday.
 
Coordinating Minister for People’s Welfare Aburizal Bakrie said thousands of people might have remained trapped under the rubble as the quake caused many buildings to collapse.
 
“The West Sumatra governor as the coordinator of disaster management has been requested to focus on evacuation of the victims,” Aburiza said after a meeting with Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari, Social Services Minister Bachtiar Chamsyah, Home Minister Mardiyanto and Governor Gamawan Fauzi in Padang on Thursday.
 
The central government, Aburizal said, had supplied 80 tons of fuel to be distributed to gas stations across the province, sent in five water purifying trucks and five tons of medical supplies and baby food.
 
"The Vice President has ordered assistance to 200,000 quake victims,” Aburizal said.
 
The quake hit Padang and Pariaman the hardest and caused infrastructure damages in seven other towns in the province.