“Volunteers of Tzu Chi in Padang, 200km from Bengkulu where the quake struck, sent 30 tons of rice, biscuits and drinking water to Bengkulu Thursday morning,” the Tzu Chi Foundation said in a statement.

“The Indonesian government provided a military cargo jet to help Tzu Chi to rush the aid to Bengkulu,” it said.

“Also on Thursday morning, Tzu Chi sent a 13-member medical team to Bengkulu. The team includes four doctors, two nurses, one pharmacist, four volunteers and two reporters from Tzu Chi’s Da Ai (“Big Love”) TV station.