Padang beach: hope these people are safe.
As reports of the scale of destruction of the Padang quake get to the outside world, we become numbed with shock and horror. Where there was once a bustling city, it's now in utter chaos and ruin.
The Hotel Mariani International, where I stayed earlier this year, is completely destroyed. It's a relief that a Singaporean who was trapped inside was finally freed.
We can only hope and pray that thousands of other Indonesians will have survived.
I'm prepared to volunteer in Padang if any organisation needs a pair of extra hands (pass the word round).
