Damage reports on quake come in
Damage reports on quake come in
JAKARTA (JP): The earthquake that shook Jakarta and much of
West Java Monday afternoon has damaged scores of homes, schools
and other public property in the south of the province.
The areas most affected were the Cibaliung, Panimbang,
Cimanggu, Sumur, Taman Jaya and South Banten districts and
Pandeglang regency, Antara said yesterday.
Measuring 6.0 in the open-ended Richter scale, the quake
struck at 3:05 p.m. Western Indonesia Time. Its epicenter was
below the Indian Ocean sea bed, about 300 kilometers southwest of
Jakarta.
In South Banten, the district closest to the epicenter,
Pandeglang Regent H. Yitno led a team of investigators that found
several offices, homes and elementary school buildings severely
damaged.
In Cibaliung district, 13 kilometers south of Pandeglang, the
district head's official residences, a doctors surgery, local
government offices, a police headquarters, a madrasah (Islamic
school), houses and a public health center had been severely
damaged. Walls had cracked, support beams collapsed, roof tiles
scattered and buildings slipped sideways.
Sukajadi village in Cibaliung district reported that nine
homes had been badly damaged, four elementary school buildings
had collapsed and 11 homes suffered light damaged.
In Panimbang district, six elementary schools and the
residence of the Mekar Jaya elementary school headmaster had been
damaged.
Nevertheless, 570 elementary school students in Panimbang,
Sumur and Cibaliung districts were continuing their studies,
Panimbang's district head Agus Muladi said yesterday.
Uus Sukandi, a teacher at a local elementary school said 39
second-grade students had joined classes of first-grade students.
Some of the seaside houses around Bayah beach, Panggrangan,
Malingping and Binuangeun in Lebak regency, South Banten
district, had lost roofing tiles.
The authorities have not yet established how many were injured
in the earthquake.
"We continue to search this area for further damage, despite
only seeing scattered roof tiles," the head of Lebak's social
services, Gofar, said.
Officials in Pandeglang continue to search for damage to
organize repairs and see about distributing funds for rebuilding.
Teams investigating the damage are hampered by the vast
distances they have to cover and poor access to telephones.
The earthquake caused panic across Jakarta and in West Java.
Thousands spilled out of high rise buildings, fighting their way
down emergency stairs. In Jakarta, the quake caused various
degree of damage in its high rise buildings. (01)