JAKARTA • The number of internally displaced people in Indonesia's Aceh province after last Wednesday's earthquake climbed to 65,000 yesterday.

"That is the latest figure. Most of these evacuees took shelter in makeshift tents along the streets across Pidie Jaya district," a rescue official told Xinhua news agency by phone.

On Friday last week, the number of displaced people stood at 45,000. The 6.5-magnitude quake damaged about 18,000 houses and buildings.

Emergency relief aid, including tents, has reached the victims. Scores of other relief supplies are on the way to the quake-hit areas in the districts of Pidie Jaya, Pidie and Bireun, the official added.

The temblor that struck last Wednesday left 101 people dead, mostly due to buildings collapsing on them. Another 857 were injured.

About 15km of roads and 55 bridges were damaged as well.

Aceh, located on the island of Sumatra, has declared a state of emergency, and Social Affairs Minister Khofifah Indar Parawansa on Saturday said the government was considering extending the emergency-response period until Dec 29.

The extension will allow the government to identify the buildings that have been damaged and require reconstruction. XINHUA

The temblor that struck last Wednesday left 101 people dead, mostly due to buildings collapsing on them. Another 857 were injured. About 15km of roads and 55 bridges were damaged as well.