Ten years ago today, Indonesia was once again struck by disaster.
The earthquake struck the southern coast of Java near the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta early Saturday morning, May 27, 2006, when many people were still asleep.
More than 5,500 people were killed, and thousands more injured.
An Indonesian man, his face bruised, pauses in his morning routine at a makeshift refugee camp Wednesday, May 31, 2006, near Bantul, Indonesia. More than 5,000 are listed as killed in last Saturday's 6.3 magnitude earthquake that struck central Java. (AP / David Longstreath)
In the days after the quake, Indonesia's government said more than 105,000 homes were reduced to piles of bricks, tiles and wood. That number would eventually surge to 400,000 structures destroyed or damaged.
An earthquake victim stands outside his destroyed home Tuesday, May 30, 2006, near Bantul, Indonesia. (AP / David Longstreath)
Most survivors turned to improvised shacks or group shelters erected in rice fields. Groups of families cooked together, each contributing scavenged food. An estimated 600,000 people were left homeless.
An elderly Indonesian woman pauses in her morning routine at a makeshift refugee camp Wednesday, May 31, 2006, near Bantul, Indonesia. (AP / David Longstreath)
A young earthquake victim eats breakfast near his destroyed home at Bantul, Indonesia on May 29, 2006. (AP / David Longstreath)
A government report later said the impact from the earthquake was worse than initially believed. It determined that housing and other buildings were built without proper reinforcement.
The loss of those buildings, the report said, was staggering.
Earthquake survivors push their belongings past the 9th century Buddhist temple of Plaosan in Klaten, Central Java on Wednesday, June 7, 2006. The temple was partially damaged by the earthquake. (AP / Purwowiyoto)
It took months for the survivors to pick up the pieces and many turned to prayer.
Thousands of Indonesians gather during a prayer for the victims of Central Java's earthquake in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia on Sunday, June 18, 2006. (AP / Trisnadi)
The government said the earthquake's shallow depth was a factor in the scale of the damage. However a government report also said buildings that didn't meet basic earthquake-resistant standards led to many of them collapsing.
