Major earthquake strikes Indonesia, kills 6

September 2nd, 2009 |

Author: admin

JAKARTA, Indonesia — Six people were killed in Indonesia after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Wednesday, officials said.

The quake was initially categorized as magnitude 7.4 before being downgraded to 7.0 by geological officials.

No details were immediately available about the deaths. At least 18 other people were injured around the capital, Jakarta, said Rustam Pakaya, a health ministry spokesman.

A tsunami watch went into effect and quickly expired, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

It struck about 2:55 p.m. (3:55 a.m. ET) and was centered 242 km (150 miles) from Jakarta, according the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake was about 60 km (37.3 miles) deep.

In Tasikmalaya, a city in the Indonesian island of Java, some older buildings were damaged and people panicked in the streets because there was no electricity, according to a witness named Maya.

Tasikmalaya is about 142 km (88 miles) from the epicenter. Several homes in that city were destroyed and a building collapsed, the health ministry spokesman said.

John Aglionby, a journalist with the Financial Times, was in Jakarta during the quake.

“The whole building started to sway. People got very serious,” Aglionby told CNN. “People left the building. But there was no sign of damage here.”

About three weeks ago, a series of earthquakes — ranging in magnitude from 4.7 to 6.7 — struck off the western coast of Indonesia’s Sumatra Island.

At least seven people were injured and one building collapsed in Padang City in West Sumatra, officials said.

– CNN’s Andy Saputra contributed to this report.

Source :

http://cnnwire.blogs.cnn.com/2009/09/02/major-earthquake-strikes-indonesia/