Nuraini busily prepared breakfast for her family while holding her 13-month-old toddler M. Alif in Blang Mancung Bawah soccer field in Central Aceh regency on Friday. They are among thousands of earthquake victims now living in tents and temporary shelters.

She looked fatigued as she had not been able to sleep soundly due to cold weather and fear of more quakes.

'€œIt'€™s pretty cold at night. My kids cannot sleep either since we have no blankets,'€ said Nuraini, a Serempah villager who has been living in a tent for four days.

The soccer field has become a temporary home for villagers from nine villages whose homes were destroyed by the 6.2-magnitude earthquake and landslides that hit Aceh on July 2.

The epicenter of the quake was located 35 kilometers southwest of Bener Meriah regency at a depth of 10 kilometers.

'€œOur village is gone due to the quake and landslide. Our rice and coffee fields are destroyed'€ she went on.

'€œChildren here are also traumatized and have started to suffer from diarrhea. We, however, have no choice but to live in the shelter since we have no other place to go,'€ Nuraini said, adding that she hoped the government had a solution to help them.

The quake has left the children traumatized and stressed.

'€œMy daughter Syifa always runs in fear every time an aftershock occurs. Her face turns pale,'€ said Ruhdi Muharram, a resident of Cekal in Bener Meriah district, as quoted by Antara news agency.

Syifa, 4, was in her house when the quake hit the region and was rescued. Even though she was uninjured in the incident, it seems as though the disaster has taken a toll on her.

Another victim, Syafrianda Selian of Pinangan Paya Tumpi village, also shared a similar story, saying that her daughter Icha, 7, also suffered from post-traumatic stress.

'€œIcha always sobs when she feels an aftershock. Sometimes she awakes from her sleep at night even though there is no quake,'€ said Syafrianda.

The quake victims, especially the children, not only need proper tents, warm clothing, blankets and adequate food supplies to survive but they also appear to need psychological assistance to help them cope with their fear and stress.

Pusaka Indonesia (PI) emergency team coordinator Prawoto confirmed the situation, saying the victims were afraid of the aftershocks that continued to occasionally hit their area.

Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) chairman Jusuf Kalla said his institution would send psychology teams for the victims.

'€œThe psychologists will help victims suffering post-traumatic stress to recover'€ said Kalla.

As of Friday evening, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) reported that a total of 40 people had died in the disaster, while 11 others were still missing and 275 others were injured.

BNPB spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said 4,292 houses and 83 public facilities had been damaged.

Some villages in Bener Meriah and Central Aceh remain isolated after landslides blocked access roads.

The landslides occurred at Serempah village near the foot of a mountain following the earthquake.

Eight families along with their houses were reportedly buried in one landslide, Antara reported.

According to PI, many villagers in the isolated areas had yet to receive aid following the landslides.

Meanwhile, BNPB was reported to have sent 13 tons of aid using an Air Force Hercules aircraft.

The aid consisted of food supplies such as instant noodles, canned fish, biscuits, sugar and mineral water, as well as blankets, baby supplies, folding beds, tents and clothing.

Aceh is prone to earthquakes. A 9.1-magnitude earthquake off Aceh in 2004 triggered a tsunami, killing 230,000 people in a number of countries.

Popular

RI, Australia strengthen partnership on taxing crypto assets

Analysis: Indonesia denies normalization with Israel to enter OECD

Citroen to produce electric cars in Indonesia