SA pilot tells of quake terror

2005-03-29 22:48

Erika Gibson

Banda Aceh - South African pilots in Indonesia on Tuesday told how people fled for their lives to higher ground as a massive earthquake shook the already devastated Banda Aceh region on Monday.

The pilots, who have been helping with aid operations since January, said the ground shook for more than a minute and, at times, it felt as if the earth moved up to three metres in one direction and then again the opposite way.

There also was mass panic in the city, the capital of Aceh province, which was hit hardest by the Boxing Day earthquake and tsunami.

According to Zandy Greeff, chief pilot for Starlite, which is contracted to the United Nations' emergency organisations, people fled their homes in their nightclothes when Monday's earthquake struck about 23:20 (Indonesian time).

"There was an exodus from the city to high-lying areas and people tried to flee on motorcycles, bicycles - anything that moved - while organisers called over megaphones for calm."

Houses collapse on residents

According to Greeff, new damage to the city could be seen from the sky on Tuesday.

"It is mainly to houses, which were already damaged after the tsunami. These collapsed and, in a lot of instances, they collapsed on residents."

In Medan on the west coast of Indonesia, many buildings and houses also had collapsed. This city had been unscathed during December's earthquake and tsunami.

- Beeld