Dead numbers rising to nine now as another five have been confirmed missing as Indonesia's strong quake causes massive damage

People gather in a tent to avoid aftershocks in West Pasaman, Indonesia's West Sumatra province on February 26, 2022, a day after a magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck the region. - AFP

JAKARTA, Feb 26 (Xinhua): Rescuers have found nine bodies under the rubbles and are trying to find other five people believed to be buried under the debris of houses after a 6.1-magnitude quake destroyed thousands of buildings in Indonesia's West Sumatra province on Friday, an official said Saturday.

Octavianto, head of the Operation Unit of the Search and Rescue Office of West Sumatra province, said that all the nine bodies were found in Pasaman and Pasaman Barat districts, which are the hardest hit by the earthquake.