31 Mar 2005 Indonesia put official Sumatra earthquake death toll at 334

Jakarta, Indonesia-Relief – Bakornas PBP, Indonesia national disaster agency, put total death toll of Sumatra earthquake at 334 people. From the total, 220 people death in Gunung Sitoli, 100 in Teluk Dalam, 12 in Sieulue, 1 in Sibolga and 1 in Aceh Timur. Death toll from both district of Nias Islands is same as in the previous day.

Conflicting numbers keep pouring from many sources. North Sumatra Gov. Rizal Nurdin estimated that 1,000 people died in the latest disaster, but officials feared the number could climb to 2,000 as rescuers continued to pull bodies from crumpled shops and homes.

A U.N. survey put the confirmed death toll so far at 518, with 500 of those on Nias, U.N. official Masood Hyder said.