Quake hits Nabire, 17 people dead<\/p>\n
Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura<\/p>\n
A powerful earthquake rocked the Papua town of Nabire on Friday
\nafternoon, leaving at least 17 people dead and 33 others injured,
\nand destroying hundreds of buildings. It was the second
\ndevastating earthquake to hit the area in the past nine months.<\/p>\n
The earthquake, measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale, created
\nchaos in Nabire, the capital of Paniai regency. Terrified
\nresidents fled their homes and offices as the buildings swayed
\nviolently.<\/p>\n
Collapsing buildings cut electricity lines, sparking fires
\nthat destroyed or damaged almost 180 buildings, homes and places
\nof worship.<\/p>\n
\"Thick smoke is billowing everywhere,\" Paniai Police deputy
\nchief Comr. Wempi Batlayeri told The Jakarta Post. All forms of
\ncommunication with Nabire was cut.<\/p>\n
Residents, assisted by police and soldiers, erected tents in
\nopen fields to house those who lost their homes and others who
\nwere simply too afraid to go indoors.<\/p>\n
The food supply is not an immediate concern but residents need
\nmore tents. Batlayeri said officials were waiting for tents and
\nfood to be sent from the town of Biak.<\/p>\n
The runway of the town's airport was damaged in the quake.
\nHowever, small Twin Otter airplanes are still able to land, said
\nBatlayeri.<\/p>\n
He said the earthquake stunned the residents of Nabire,
\nincluding Paniai Regent A.P. Youw.<\/p>\n
\"We were attending a meeting with local residents when the
\nearthquake occurred. Everyone scrambled to get out of the
\nregent's office. People were crashing into each other as they
\nrushed to save themselves,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"We are still in a panic,\" said Jahron, a pilot who lives in
\nthe city, as quoted by Reuters.<\/p>\n
There are reports the earthquake was felt in Wamena,
\nJayawijaya regency, and in Mulia, Puncak Jaya regency, hundreds
\nof kilometers from Nabire.<\/p>\n
\"The residents in those regencies ran out of their homes when
\nthey felt the tremors,\" said Wirda Fakaubun, chief of regental
\ndevelopment and planning in Puncak Jaya regency.<\/p>\n
The earthquake struck at 11:25 a.m., with the epicenter some
\n17 kilometers south of Nabire and 33 kilometers underground,
\naccording to Guntur Seno, an official at the Meteorological and
\nGeophysics Agency (BMG) in Jayapura.<\/p>\n
The earthquake was less powerful than one that hit the town in
\nFebruary this year, which measured 6.9 on the Richter scale. The
\ndevastating earthquake in February left 37 dead and 115 others
\ninjured, and caused an estimated Rp 1.5 trillion in damage.<\/p>\n
The BMG office in Jakarta plans to dispatch officials to
\nNabire to analyze the aftershocks. This analysis could be useful
\nin predicting how long the aftershocks will last, said Suharjono,
\nan official at the BMG Jakarta office, as quoted by Antara news
\nagency.<\/p>\n
But judging by the earthquake in February, the aftershocks
\nwill last about two weeks, he said, adding that residents should
\nstay outdoors in the meantime.<\/p>\n
The earthquake on Friday occurred two weeks after a quake
\ndevastated Alor in East Nusa Tenggara province, on Nov. 12. The
\nAlor earthquake, measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale, left 34
\npeople dead and hundreds of others injured, and damaged some
\n4,000 buildings, including homes, schools, places of worship and
\noffices.<\/p>\n
Residents in Alor are rushing to rebuild their homes before
\nthe rainy season begins.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/quake-hits-nabire-17-people-dead-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}