NTT quake damages houses

KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara: An earthquake hit Manggarai regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), on Saturday morning, damaging several houses and public facilities, an official said.

There were no reports of casualties or of injuries after the quake, which measured 5.58 on the Richter scale.

The disaster caused panic among local residents, who fled their homes, said the spokesman of the Manggarai administration secretary, Adolf Senudin.

Gregorius Darmanto, a 30-year-old resident from Ruteng, Flores, said, "Residents panicked, and business activities came to a halt for a short time. One hour later, though, locals returned to work after it became clear that there would be aftershocks."

He said the tremor took place at around 7:50 a.m. and felt "very strong".

Officials at the Kupang Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) said the earthquake's epicenter was estimated to be in the Flores Sea.

In April 2003, a quake rocked the regency, killing at least seven people and destroying dozens of houses and public infrastructure. -- JP