Quake hits Nabire, 17 people dead

Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura

A powerful earthquake rocked the Papua town of Nabire on Friday afternoon, leaving at least 17 people dead and 33 others injured, and destroying hundreds of buildings. It was the second devastating earthquake to hit the area in the past nine months.

The earthquake, measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale, created chaos in Nabire, the capital of Paniai regency. Terrified residents fled their homes and offices as the buildings swayed violently.

Collapsing buildings cut electricity lines, sparking fires that destroyed or damaged almost 180 buildings, homes and places of worship.

"Thick smoke is billowing everywhere," Paniai Police deputy chief Comr. Wempi Batlayeri told The Jakarta Post. All forms of communication with Nabire was cut.

Residents, assisted by police and soldiers, erected tents in open fields to house those who lost their homes and others who were simply too afraid to go indoors.

The food supply is not an immediate concern but residents need more tents. Batlayeri said officials were waiting for tents and food to be sent from the town of Biak.

The runway of the town's airport was damaged in the quake. However, small Twin Otter airplanes are still able to land, said Batlayeri.

He said the earthquake stunned the residents of Nabire, including Paniai Regent A.P. Youw.

"We were attending a meeting with local residents when the earthquake occurred. Everyone scrambled to get out of the regent's office. People were crashing into each other as they rushed to save themselves," he said.

"We are still in a panic," said Jahron, a pilot who lives in the city, as quoted by Reuters.

There are reports the earthquake was felt in Wamena, Jayawijaya regency, and in Mulia, Puncak Jaya regency, hundreds of kilometers from Nabire.

"The residents in those regencies ran out of their homes when they felt the tremors," said Wirda Fakaubun, chief of regental development and planning in Puncak Jaya regency.

The earthquake struck at 11:25 a.m., with the epicenter some 17 kilometers south of Nabire and 33 kilometers underground, according to Guntur Seno, an official at the Meteorological and Geophysics Agency (BMG) in Jayapura.

The earthquake was less powerful than one that hit the town in February this year, which measured 6.9 on the Richter scale. The devastating earthquake in February left 37 dead and 115 others injured, and caused an estimated Rp 1.5 trillion in damage.

The BMG office in Jakarta plans to dispatch officials to Nabire to analyze the aftershocks. This analysis could be useful in predicting how long the aftershocks will last, said Suharjono, an official at the BMG Jakarta office, as quoted by Antara news agency.

But judging by the earthquake in February, the aftershocks will last about two weeks, he said, adding that residents should stay outdoors in the meantime.

The earthquake on Friday occurred two weeks after a quake devastated Alor in East Nusa Tenggara province, on Nov. 12. The Alor earthquake, measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale, left 34 people dead and hundreds of others injured, and damaged some 4,000 buildings, including homes, schools, places of worship and offices.

Residents in Alor are rushing to rebuild their homes before the rainy season begins.