Earthquake alarms workers in high-rise buildings

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A tectonic earthquake measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale jolted the capital on Tuesday afternoon, creating panic among workers in high-rise buildings in parts of Jakarta.

"The quake was fairly strong. The floor, the walls and chairs, all trembled," said Utami, an employee of a financial firm located in a 20-story building on Jl. Sudirman, Central Jakarta.

Almost all employees of the building had to descend the stairs as the building's management switched off the elevators.

The quake struck for less than a minute at about 2:11 p.m.

Several employees of a building on Jl. Kuningan in South Jakarta were trapped in an elevator for about five minutes following the quake.

"We panicked, but, thank God, the security guards got us out soon," said Darmawan, one of the employees, explaining that the elevator stopped automatically after the quake struck.

State Logistics Agency (Bulog) chief Widjanarko Puspoyo, immediately rushed out of his 15th floor office in a building on Jl. Gatot Subroto, Central Jakarta, followed by his staff and The Jakarta Post reporter who was interviewing him.

An official from the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) said that the tremor's epicenter was in the Sunda Straits, near Ujung Kulon in Banten province, at a depth of about 20 kilometers beneath the sea. It was about 180 kilometers away from the capital.

The quake was also strongly felt in Ujung Kulon, Anyer and Merak in Banten province; and Bandar Lampung and Kota Bumi in Lampung. It was also felt in Bogor and Bandung in West Java and Palembang in South Sumatra.

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

Some guests of Sol Elit Marbela hotel in Anyer, rushed out of the 12-story building immediately, Antara reported.

"It only happened for a few seconds. Our activities resumed soon after," said an employee, who asked not to be named, adding that the quake did not cause any damage to the hotel.

BMG spokesman Waan Tarmin said the quake was the result of the meeting of the Indo-Australia plate which is moving toward the Eurasia plate.

Each year, the movement can reach up to seven centimeters. However, the agency could not predict the time of the meeting between both plates.

"There was no indication of tsunami," Tarmin said.

Indonesia, home to about 500 volcanoes, is prone to seismic tremors due to its location near the meeting point of the tectonic plates.

The Sunda Straits located between the islands of Java and Sumatra, is the site of the active volcano Anak Krakatau. The legendary Krakatau volcano, which killed thousands of people when it erupted in 1883, once existed at the same location. Earthquakes usually occur in areas near active volcanoes.

Late in 2000, a strong quake hit Pandeglang regency in Banten province, damaging 3,500 buildings.