Earthquake Kills at Least 1,100

The 7.6-magnitude earthquake that struck the Indonesian island of Sumatra has officially claimed 1,100 people, and that number is expected to rise further. BBC News reports that nearly 2,400 people have been injured. Rescue workers are scrambling through the rubble of buildings in a desperate search for survivors, and reports describe grim scenes at a collapsed school in the capital city of Padang. Sumatra's already-fragile infrastructure, combined with the vast area affected by the quake, is making rescue efforts quite a challenge. A United Nations official said that there was an inadequate amount of equipment available to properly deal with the damage.