Death toll from Indonesian quake climbs to 97!

• A 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck the town of Pidie in Indonesia's Aceh province.

The death toll from a strong 6.5-magnitude earthquake that struck Indonesia's Aceh province Wednesday has nearly doubled to 97, a military chief said.

"So far 97 people have been killed and the number keeps growing," Aceh military chief Tatang Sulaiman told AFP.

At least 52 persons were killed and 10 injured when an earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter Scale hit Aceh region in Indonesia on Wednesday, provincial press officer said.

The quake had epicentre at 18 km northeast Pidie Jaya district and the depth at 10 km under land, Xinhua news agency quoted an official of the meteorology and geophysics agency as saying.