Quake, tidal waves kill 10 in north Irian Jaya

Quake, tidal waves kill 10 in north Irian Jaya

BIAK, Irian Jayapura (JP): At least 10 people were killed when
an earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale shook several
coastal towns in north Irian Jaya yesterday.

Reports of severe destruction came from Biak and Manokwari and
many coastal villages were swept by tidal waves.

Police in Biak reported 10 deaths. The number could increase
because reports suggested that whole villages along the coast on
Biak Island were swept away by tidal waves immediately after the
quake struck just before 3 p.m. local time.

In Biak, the town's main mosque, Mesjid Raya Baiturrahman, was
flattened to the ground as was the main supermarket, Indah. Among
government buildings destroyed include the statistics and
transmigration offices, residents said.

Fien, a resident who lives opposite the supermarket, said most
people managed to get out on time before the building collapsed.

There were also reports of fires in several places in Biak.

The town was dark last night as the power was out.

First Sergeant Sodi Irwanto of the Biak police precinct told
The Jakarta Post that 10 people were killed and 17 others
injured. Most of the deaths and injuries were caused by buildings
collapsing, he said.

He described the situation in Biak as chaotic because there
had been several aftershocks since the earthquake.

The authorities have appealed to people to leave their homes
and head for open fields.

Biak's Frans Kaisiepo airport, which also caters to some
international flights, was closed down because its control tower
was destroyed and could not monitor or direct incoming flights,
said Sodik Hasanuddin, the local manager of the PT Angkasa Putra
which runs the airport.

"We are working on restoring the facilities as soon as
possible," Sodik said, adding that at the earliest, the airport
would reopen this afternoon.

Priyanto, the head of Biak Meteorology and Geophysics Agency,
said the earthquake monitoring center in Jakarta measured the
quake at 7.0 on the Richter scale.

The epicenter of the quake was in the Pacific Ocean about 110
kilometers east of Biak and about 63 km under the sea, he said.

An earlier Antara report put the tremor at 7.5 on the scale
while the Australian Geological Survey center in Canberra and
Japan's Meteorological Agency both said they measured the quake
at 8.0 on the Richter scale, Reuters reported.

At least four aftershocks were registered between 3 p.m. and 6
p.m. yesterday, Priyanto said.

He also confirmed that tidal waves struck many parts of Biak's
coast, some reaching three to four meters.

Antara reported that the quake also caused severe destruction
in Manokwari, the main town in Irian Jaya's Birdhead region. The
news agency said there were no immediate reports of casualties.

The police precinct was one of the structures demolished by
the quake, and several parked cars were destroyed as buildings
collapsed on them.

Mrs. Marsoedi, the wife of Manokwari administration secretary,
told the Post that she was organizing a mass kitchen with the
wives of administration officials to feed the more than 1,000
coastal people who lost their homes in the tidal waves.

Soldiers were deployed to help with the evacuation and
distribute whatever relief aid is available locally.

The chief of the Search and Rescue Agency in Jakarta, Harinto,
said his office has also taken steps to coordinate the operation,
but said with most transportation facilities being deployed for
the Idul Fitri travel, its Irian Jaya office would have to rely
on whatever transportation means are available locally.
(16/emb/Binny Buchori)