A powerful earthquake shook the island of Sumatra Wednesday, burying sleeping residents in the rubble of their homes and demolishing many buildings. At least 134 people were killed.

Another 500 people were seriously hurt, said Hotman Apik, a government spokesman.The earthquake struck just after midnight. It had an initial Richter reading of 6.5, according to officials in Jakarta. The U.S. Geological Survey in Washington put its strength at 7.2.

"Most of the victims were sound asleep," Apik said. "Some of the victims died without knowing what hit them."

Believed to be hardest hit was the province of Lampung on southeastern Sumatra, which is about 125 miles northwest of Jakarta.

Destruction from the quake and heavy rains made it difficult to contact Lampung. Roads have been churned up and phone lines cut by the quake.

A blackout plunged western Lampung into darkness soon after the tremor hit.

Many homes, mosques, government offices and police stations were demolished, Apik said. He did not have more details on the scale of the destruction.

Within Lampung, the devastation was believed greatest in the district of Liwa and the sub-district of Sekincau, which has a population of 50,000 people.

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Quake rattles China

A strong earthquake shook a disaster-plagued region of northwestern China early Wednesday. Officials said they had no immediate word about casualties. The quake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale struck Gonghe county of Qinghai province at 5:09 a.m., the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.

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