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In Pictures: Magnitude 6.5 earthquake hits Aceh in Indonesia, kills dozens

A magnitude 6.5 quake struck the north-east coast of Sumatra in Indonesia, laying waste to dozens of buildings and leaving people trapped under piles of rubble.

The epicenter of the quake was 19 kilometres southeast of the town of Sigli in Aceh province.

"So far, 97 people have been killed, including young children and 73 seriously injured," reports BBC.

More than 200 shops and homes have been destroyed, along with 14 mosques.

The quake prompted many people across the region to flee their homes. Indonesia is prone to earthquakes because it lies in the Ring of Fire - a region prone to frequent quakes and volcanic activity.

In December 2004, a massive earthquake off the coast of Sumatra triggered a tsunami that killed 230,000 people in over a dozen countries. More than 160,000 people died in Indonesia alone and most of those deaths occurred in Aceh.

Text by Sehar Qazi, Photo curation by Priyata Brajabasi