PADANG, Indonesia, October 3 (RIA Novosti) - Rescue teams from 17 countries, including Russia, have arrived at the Indonesian island of Sumatra to help deal with the aftermath of Wednesday's quake.
According to United Nations data, more than 1,000 people have died and up to 4,000 are trapped under debris following a 7.6-magnitude quake that hit the port city of Padang on Wednesday, and a series of aftershocks.
"I have never seen such a large group of rescuers from foreign states, 17 rescue teams from different states have arrived here," said Vladimir Legoshin, who heads the Russian team.
The Russian planes arrived in Medan, the capital of North Sumatra, at around 02:00 GMT on Saturday, delivering 80 rescuers and medics, as well as search and rescue equipment.
Among the states that have sent their rescuers are the U.S., Turkey, Sweden, Switzerland and Singapore.
