One killed in Maluku earthquake

JAKARTA (JP): One person died and more than 50 others were injured in the powerful earthquake which hit Obi island in North Maluku on Sunday, the Antara news agency reported yesterday.

Secretary of the North Maluku Regency Thaib Armaiyn said in Ternate yesterday that the quake also destroyed hundreds of houses, seven schools, a number of places of worship, community health centers and community halls.

The villages most affected on Obi island are Madopolo, Lauwi, Baru, Buton, Sambiki and Anggi.

The island was rocked by an earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale Sunday morning.

The regency office has sent a team to distribute food, fuel and medicine to the stricken villages, which are located some 225 kilometers from Ternate, the seat of the regency.

He said the 732nd Army Battalion based in Ternate and the navy have also been dispatched to the affected areas. (pwn)