Five killed, six injured in earthquake
Kasparman Piliang, The Jakarta Post, Padang, West Sumatra
At least five people, including a mother and her daughter, were killed and six others were severely injured after a fairly strong earthquake hit West Sumatra on Monday night.
The earthquake, measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale, also damaged 70 houses in Tanah Datar regency in the province.
Sumarso, an official at the Padang Panjang Geophysics and Meteorology Agency, said that the earthquake, which affected all parts of West Sumatra, happened at 9:44 p.m. on Monday.
The epicenter was located beneath Mount Tandikat in the Malalak area of Agam regency, some 40 kilometers from Padang city, the capital of West Sumatra.
He said that the earthquake was felt in Tanah Datar regency and Malalak area, and the intensity reached 5 MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity).
The five people killed were all residents of Tanah Datar regency. They were Rosi, 34 and her daughter Annisa, 2, the residents of Pitalah subdistrict in the regency, while two others were Upik, 75 and Sinto, 76, the residents of neighboring subdistrict Gunung Sago. Another dead victim has not been identified yet.
Those victims died after the roof of their houses collapsed.
Antonius, the brother of Rosi, recalled that the residents in Pitalah subdistrict quickly ran out of their homes after the rumbling began and the power soon went off.
The residents suddenly heard someone crying. When they traced the source, they realized it was coming from Rosi's house. When they arrived in the area, they saw that the house had collapsed. The residents tried to save Rosi and Annisa, but they could not get to them in time.
The only survivor in the house was Sinta, 5, another daughter of Rosi, who was admitted to Ibnu Sina Hospital in Padang Panjang city. Sinta had bruises on her head and leg.
The other injured victims came from the neighboring subdistrict of Gunung Sago.
Masriadi Martunus, the Tanah Datar Regent, said that Gunung Sago was the area in his regency that was hardest hit. "Some 70 houses were damaged. The material losses are not accounted for yet," he said.
The temblor was also felt in Padang city, but no fatalities or building damage have been reported.
Tension continued to grip the area near Mount Tandikat, as aftershocks continued until Tuesday morning. "At least 60 aftershocks were felt in the area, but they were of a smaller magnitude than the first tremor," said Sumarso.
Sumarso said it was the most powerful seismic activity in West Sumatra in over two years. A similar quake, measuring 4.5 on Richter scale, hit in March 2003 and destroyed 10 houses located on the slopes of the mountain.
This is the second deadly quake in the country in as many weeks. A powerful 6.9 quake hit a sparsely populated area near Nabire, Papua on Feb. 6. In Nabire the death toll has reached 37, with hundreds more injured.