At Least 15 Killed in Indonesia Quake

At Least 15 Killed in Indonesia Quake
By NORIMITSU ONISHI and MARK McDONALD
Copyright by The New York Times
Published: September 2, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/03/world/asia/03indo.html?ref=global-home


JAKARTA, Indonesia — A powerful earthquake struck the southern coast of Java on Wednesday, killing at least 15 people and rocking buildings 120 miles away in the capital, Jakarta.

A mosque damaged by the earthquake in the village of Cisaat, West Java, on Wednesday.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center of the National Weather Service said the 7.1 magnitude quake struck Java, Indonesia’s main island, at 2:55 p.m. local time. The center’s initial report, at 3:06 p.m., triggered a tsunami watch, although that was canceled 15 minutes later.

“No tsunami threat exists to coastlines in the Pacific,” the center’s official bulletin said. “However, earthquakes of this size sometimes generate local tsunamis that can be destructive along coasts located within a few hundred kilometers of the earthquake’s epicenter.”

The Health Ministry said it was sending medical teams to Tasikmalaya, the town nearest the epicenter, where several buildings were reported to have collapsed, Reuters reported.

At least 27 people were injured in Jakarta, a Health Ministry official said.

In Jakarta, residents felt buildings shaking and thousands of people streamed onto the streets.

Tasikmalaya, the town nearest the epicenter. No tsunami watches, warnings or advisories were in effect by Wednesday evening, although the center urged local authorities to be aware of possible local surges and take appropriate precautions.

The most powerful recorded earthquake to hit Indonesia was on Dec. 26, 2004. The 9.1 magnitude quake off the western coast of northern Sumatra created tsunamis that rolled through the Indian Ocean and killed 227,898 people, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Since then, Indonesia has been hit by 29 quakes of 6.3 magnitude or higher.

Norimitsu Onishi reported from Jakarta, Indonesia, and Mark McDonald from Hong Kong.