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Swiss send aid to quake-hit Indonesia

Switzerland is sending a team of seven experts to help in Indonesia, which has been struck by a series of devastating earthquakes.

On Thursday morning a tremor measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale hit Sumatra, a day after another very powerful quake hit the island.

A Swiss foreign ministry statement on Thursday said that the team would prepare for subsequent work by the Swiss Rescue service. From Friday, around 120 specialists are expected to be deployed in Indonesia.

The country is responding to an international appeal for help by the United Nations.

The Indonesian authorities said on Thursday that the death toll from Wednesday’s 7.6 magnitude earthquake had risen to more than 750. Rescue workers expect the numbers to rise, as many buildings have collapsed and people are still trapped under the rubble. Roads and bridges have been destroyed.

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