One killed, 15 missing in E. Timor quake

One killed, 15 missing in E. Timor quake

DILI, East Timor (JP): At least one person was killed, 26
injured and 15 went missing as a tidal wave triggered by a major
earth quake struck the island of Timor on Sunday night, officials
said yesterday.

The quake, measuring 6.8 on the open-ended Richter scale,
struck here at about 7.30 p.m. on Sunday for about 15 seconds,
triggering tidal waves and sending town residents fleeing out of
their homes in panic.

The quake also caused damage to more than 12 houses.
Throughout Sunday night, townspeople stayed out of their houses
for fear of aftershocks.

A woman crushed by the walls of her house died on the way to
hospital. Nineteen people with serious injuries were still being
treated at Dili General Hospital yesterday.

Hospital chief Christian Tillar said that doctors toiled until
3 a.m. yesterday trying to save the lives of three critically-
injured people.

East Timor police chief Col. Andreas Sugianto said 15 people
were still missing. He called on residents to be wary of stronger
aftershocks.

Officials of the meteorology and geophysics agency in the East
Nusa Tenggara capital of Kupang said the quake's epicenter was 33
kilometers under the sea and about 150 southeast of Dili.

Search and rescue workers have been directed to focus their
attention on fishing villages on the southern coasts of the
province, said agency spokesman Ahmad Lani.

The quake was also felt on Alor island, East Nusa Tenggara,
but there have been no reports of casualties or damage.

The intensity of the earthquake has been debated. The
meteorology and geophysics agency in Jakarta marked 5.6 on the
Richter scale while its office in Kupang recorded it at 6.8.

In 1992, a quake measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale struck
East Nusa Tenggara, triggering major tidal waves that killed
about 2,500 people. (yac/pan)