Quakes hit Bali, East Java, Bengkulu<\/p>\n
Wahyoe Boediwardhana, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali<\/p>\n
The resort island of Bali and several areas of neighboring East
\nJava province were rattled by an earthquake early Saturday
\nmorning. But there were no immediate reports of casualties or
\ninjuries.<\/p>\n
A quake also occurred early on Saturday morning in Bengkulu,
\non the east coast of Sumatra, The Associated Press reported.<\/p>\n
The 20-minute quake affecting Bali caused cracks in the walls
\nof houses and buildings located near its epicenter in the East
\nJava town of Banyuwangi, local meteorologists said.<\/p>\n
The tremor measuring 5.0 on the Richter scale also caused
\npanic among residents in affected areas.<\/p>\n
Sukmono, a resident of a heavily populated housing complex in
\ndowntown Denpasar, said he hurriedly woke up his family to
\nevacuate their house. Minutes later security guards of the
\nhousing state sounded the alarm.<\/p>\n
\"Thank God, nobody was hurt,\" Sukmono said.<\/p>\n
An official of Bali's Geophysics and Meteorology Agency (BMG),
\nGede Erik Sumayasa, said the quake's epicenter was located in the
\nIndonesian ocean, some 69 kilometers south of Banyuwangi, a major
\ntown on the eastern tip of East Java.<\/p>\n
He said the quake had been quite long and varied in intensity.
\nLocal people had assumed the fluctuations were aftershocks.<\/p>\n
\"In fact, it was a single earthquake that started at 2:32 a.m.
\nlocal time and ended at 2:52 a.m.,\" Erik said.<\/p>\n
The quake was caused by the movement of the Indo-Australia and
\nEuro-Asia tectonic plates. The tectonic plates lie along southern
\nparts of Java, Bali and West and East Nusa Tenggara, thus, making
\nthe provinces prone to earthquakes. Each year the plates move
\naround seven to 12 centimeters.<\/p>\n
\"Our seismograph recorded that there are six to 10
\nsubterranean earthquakes each day due to the plates' movements.
\nHowever, the quakes are generally too weak to be noticed,\" Erik
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Indonesia sits on the \"Pacific Rim of Fire\" noted for its
\nvolcanic and seismic activity.<\/p>\n
In Bengkulu, a quake measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale
\noccurred at 4:57 a.m. and caused panic among residents.<\/p>\n
The province suffered extensive damage in June 2000 when a
\nstrong quake hit the area, killing 94 people and causing
\nwidespread damage to buildings.<\/p>",
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