Indonesia's president visits quake region

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo pledged assistance tot he people of Aceh on Friday as they face the challenge of rebuilding following Wednesday's earthquake.

"We will rebuild this mosque as soon as possible," Widodo told a crowd gathered outside a mosque that had collapsed.  "We'll work through this together."

Prior to visiting the destroyed mosque, Widodo went to a hospital that is treating victims.

Over 100 people were killed in the quake, which struck in the early hours of Wednesday morning. About 800 people were injured and more than 11,000 people have been displaced and are staying in shelters, mosques or with relatives.

The United States Geological Survey said Wednesday's quake's epicenter was about 18 kilometers (11 miles) northeast of Pidie Jaya at 5:03 am local time Wednesday. Indonesia is on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an area prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. A magnitude 9.1 earthquake and subsequent tsunami near the Aceh province in December 2004 killed 230,000 people, with most of the deaths occurring in Aceh.

mz/kms (AFP, AP)