Up to 40 Australians missing in Sumatra

Australia's response to the devastating Sumatran earthquakes got into full swing on
Saturday as embassy officials continued their search for up to 40 Australians who
remain unaccounted for.
An Australian search and rescue team worked its way through Padang and the
surrounding areas, including Pariaman, the worst affected district, to assess the
damage and rescue needs.
Officials have identified more than 2000 sites throughout the region that need to be
assessed. Japanese, British, Swiss and Singaporean search and rescue teams were also
on the ground.
Australian aid - including medical kits, basic goods, blankets and tents - was
passed to the Indonesian Red Cross for distribution to quake survivors.
Aid had also arrived from 13 other countries, but was yet to reach some of the worst
affected areas on Saturday.
Australian Defence Force personnel were also on the ground to assist.
The 7.6-magnitude quake toppled buildings and is believed to have killed more than
1100 people in Padang, home to nearly a million people on the coast of Sumatra. A
second less powerful quake struck inland the next day.
Several thousands people remain trapped in rubble, the United Nations and Red Cross
believe.
Hopes of finding people alive continued to fade as the stench of rotting corpses
permeated the city.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said there were still no reports of
Australian casualties.
All 13 Australians registered as being in Padang at the time of the quake have been
found safe.
However, up to 40 Australians believed to be in Sumatra were still unaccounted for,
DFAT said.
Embassy officials continued to scour hospitals in and around Padang to find
Australians who may have been killed or injured.
"The good news is the Australians who we knew were in the Padang area at the time of
the earthquake have now all been accounted for," Foreign Minister Stephen Smith
said.
Indonesian vice president Jusuf Kalla toured the area on Saturday, his entourage
exacerbating traffic chaos caused by blocked and damaged roads.
Meanwhile, HMAS Kanimbla slipped out of Sydney Harbour bound for the area. It is
expected to reach Sumatra in about 10 days.
Commodore Ian Middleton, the navy's surface forces commander, said Kanimbla would
provide Australia's long-term back-up to the area.
"The air force got in there with the immediate response," he said.
"What the Kanimbla is providing is the back-up longer term to clean up, and
reconstruct if necessary.
"We've yet to be told by the Indonesian government and Australian government what
exactly we need to do.
"What we're doing is positioning the ship to be in the best spot to get up there in
a timely fashion."