Report: 1 killed in strong Indonesia quake
1JAKARTA, Indonesia A strong, shallow earthquake has rocked parts of western Indonesia, reportedly killing a young girl.
The quake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.9 hit Aceh province around dawn on Tuesday.
Local media said it was felt strongly in the capital Banda Aceh and surrounding districts.
Serambi newspaper and other local outlets reported that one girl was killed and several other people were injured.
Aceh on the western tip of Sumatra Island is often rocked by earthquakes.
In 2004, a monster temblor off its shores triggered a tsunami that killed 230,000 people across Asia. Most of the deaths were in Aceh.
Share
PANGALENGAN, Indonesia (Reuters) – The death toll from an earthquake that struck Indonesia, shattering rural homes and forcing terrified city residents into the street, stood at 42 and was likely to rise, the government said on Thursday.
The 7.0 magnitude quake shook buildings in the capital Jakarta on Wednesday afternoon and flattened homes in villages closer to the epicentre in West Java.
Reuters reporters saw many damaged houses as well as makeshift tents and shelters on the streets and in fields.
“They have taken refuge not only because their houses were ruined, but also because they fear there will be aftershocks,” said local official Obar Sobarna. About 5,000 people were taking refuge in the area, he added.
At least 42 people were killed and more than 300 people injured, the government said. Officials said about 1,300 houses were damaged, although local media put the number at 3,500.
Another 42 were missing, presumed dead, after the quake triggered a landslide in the district of Cianjur, about 60 miles south of Jakarta, said Priyadi Kardono, spokesman for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency.
Kardono said the death toll may rise sharply as scores of houses and offices had collapsed or suffered severe damage. Some areas near the epicentre could not be contacted for several hours.
“Communications with the coastal areas were completely cut, so we don’t know the conditions there,” Kardono told Reuters.
“It’s possible the death toll could grow higher.”
NEIGHBOURS OFFER HELP
Asian states offered to help deal with the quake aftermath.
“We’ve said to the Indonesian authorities we will work with them in terms of any assistance that we can provide,” Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd told national radio.
Yukio Hatoyama, Japan’s next prime minister after his Democratic Party of Japan’s landslide election victory, said his government would provide help “regardless of any request.
“We need to make sure there are no delays in providing aid that we would normally be able to provide because of a policy vacuum.”
The health ministry said it was sending medical teams to affected areas in West Java. State news agency Antara reported villagers were clearing rubble from collapsed buildings to try to find survivors and bodies.
Indonesia’s 17,000 islands are scattered along a belt of volcanic and seismic activity known as the Pacific “ring of fire,” one of the most quake-prone places on earth.
More than 170,000 Indonesians were killed or listed missing after a 9.15 magnitude earthquake off Indonesia’s Aceh province on Sumatra triggered a tsunami in December 2004. A total of 230,000 people died in Indian Ocean countries.
Indonesia’s seismology agency put the magnitude of Wednesday’s quake at 7.3 with the epicentre 142 km (88 miles) southwest of Tasikmalaya, in West Java.
“Many houses are flattened to the ground,” said Edi Sapuan in Margamukti village, near Tasikmalaya. “Only the wooden houses remain standing. Many villagers are injured, covered in blood.”
“We ran as soon as the quake hit. Then five minutes later my house collapsed.”
The quake was felt as far away as Surabaya, Indonesia’s second city, 500 km (300 miles) northeast of Tasikmalaya, and on the resort island of Bali, about 700 km (420 miles) to the east.
At least 38 people were injured in Jakarta, the health ministry said. Buildings shook and residents said thousands of people poured into the streets from office and apartment blocks.
“The chandelier started moving and it started shaking really strong,” said Victor Chan, who lives in a 34th floor flat. “It lasted quite long. I was really scared and rushed downstairs.”
(Reporting by Olivia Rondonuwu, Telly Nathalia, Fitri Wulandari, Muklis Ali, Tyagita Silka, Andreas Ismar, Karima Anjani, and Retno Palupi in JAKARTA and Rob Taylor in CANBERRA; Writing by Sara Webb; Editing by Ron Popeski)