PADANG (Indonesia), October 8 (RIA Novosti) - Russian rescue teams have completed their emergency and medical aid missions on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, which was recently hit by a series of powerful earthquakes.
According to United Nations data, more than 1,000 people have died and up to 4,000 could be trapped under debris in the port city of Padang, where some 75% of the buildings were destroyed in a series of tremors, the strongest with magnitudes of 7.6 and 6.9.
Indonesian authorities halted search and rescue operations in Padang and its environs on Monday but nearly 80 Russian experts, who arrived on the island on two emergencies ministry Il-76 cargo planes on Saturday, continued their work in the ruins in hope of rescuing the survivors.
The majority of Russian rescuers worked in Padang, the epicenter of the earthquake, and in the nearby villages of Lupu-Alu, Pariaman and Payakumbu.
They were not able to find anyone alive under the rubble, but deployed their airmobile hospital in Lupu-Alu, where doctors attended to about 500 quake victims. They also distributed medical supplies among the local population.
Two Il-76 transport planes will fly the Russian teams and their equipment back home late on Thursday.
