Minor quake causes panic

INDONESIA: An earthquake measuring 4.4 on the Richter scale jolted Yogyakarta and the southern part of East and Central Java on Saturday, causing people to leave their homes in panic.

A resident of a housing complex in Sosorutan area in Yogyakarta said he felt the tremor at around 8:45 p.m. The tremblor lasted about 15 seconds.

"I quickly took my daughter out of the house. Some of my neighbors did the same," a woman, Sulistini, told Antara.

No fatalities or damage were reported immediately following the quake.

The local Meteorology and Geophysics Agency said the epicenter of the tectonic earthquake was located 265 kilometers southwest of Blitar in East Java at 33 kilometers beneath the surface.

The tremor was felt for around three minutes in the East Java regencies of Tulungagung and Trenggalek.

Ridhol Mahbub, a Tulungagung resident, said many people living in areas six kilometers from the south coast were on alert in case of possible aftershocks. -- Antara