Quake hits Nabire, 17 people dead

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.