Lalit Dhadphale

Co-Founder & CEO HealthWarehouse.com

Indonesia Quake: Death Toll at 15, May Rise - The Jakarta Globe

A mosque damaged by a powerful earthquake in Cisaat village in West Java

A mosque damaged by a powerful earthquake in Cisaat village in West Java's Sukabumi district. (Photo: Eka Junjunan, Reuters)

Indonesia Quake: Death Toll at 15, May Rise

The death toll stands at 15 and may keep rising after a magnitude 7 earthquake struck Indonesia's Java island shortly before 3 p.m. on Wednesday.

"Communications with the coastal areas were completely cut, so we don't know the conditions there. No reports have come from those areas," said Priyadi Kardono, an official at the National Disaster Mitigation Agency. "It's possible the death toll could grow higher."

"Many houses are flattened to the ground," said Edi Sapuan in Margamukti village, not far from 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," Edi added.

At least 27 people were injured in Jakarta, a health ministry official said.

The quake's epicenter was 142 km southwest of Tasikamalaya in West Java and 49.5 km deep, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). Its magnitude was originally reported to be 7.3, but was later downgraded.

The USGS also reported an aftershock at 4.28 p.m measuring 5.4 with an epicenter 15 km deep.

Twelve houses were crushed by a landslide and one additional house completely collapsed, he said.

Dozens of buildings collapsed in the towns of Tasikmalaya and Sukabumi and 18 people were hospitalized with light injuries in Jakarta, disaster management official Rustam Pakaya added.

In Sukabumi, 23 houses were seriously damaged, an official said.

Edison Burning, spokesman for the Indonesian Meteorology Agency (BMKG), urged people to remain alert for aftershocks.

"It was a sudden earthquake, there was no warning," Edison said.

If aftershocks occur, people are advised to leave their buildings or seek cover under tables or a desk, he said.

Fatimah, a resident of Kawalu, Tasikmalaya, told the Jakarta Globe that when the earthquake struck, it was initially very strong, but then stopped. She then felt it again a few minutes later, but by then her and her neighbors had already fled outside.

She could not see any collapsed houses, but her windows had been cracked by the quake, she said.

Authorities issued a tsunami watch following the tremor, but it was later retracted.

“I was terrified when I heard about the tsunami warning,” Fatimah said, because Pangandaran Beach is nearby.

Gedung Veteran, Plaza Semanggi, where the Jakarta Globe offices are located, swayed noticeably with a rolling motion, causing workers to pour out of their offices in a panic.

Users on the social networking site Twitter reported feeling the quake in Jakarta, but there have been no reports of damage so far.

JG, AFP

via thejakartaglobe.com