Residents fear aftershocks of Kuningan quake

Residents fear aftershocks of Kuningan quake

Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post, Kuningan, West Java

More than 2,000 people in Kuningan regency, West Java, have been
living in fear of possible aftershocks after an earthquake
measuring a moderate 4.6 on the Richter scale shook the regency
late on Friday and damaged about 800 houses and other buildings.

Residents of Cilimus and Pancalang, two districts which were
worst hit, have taken shelter in temporary camps set up by the
local administration and have taken all their belongings out of
their houses.

Udin Marvel and Dede whose houses were badly damaged by the
tremor, said they have been staying in two camps because they
feared stronger aftershocks.

"No. No. We will continue to stay in this camp in the open
field because we are still afraid of more quakes," Udin told The
Jakarta Post when asked if he would go home soon.

Cilimus district head Much. Supratman said that so far he had
recorded 440 houses and mosques and a junior high school building
which were damaged by the earthquake.

"The villages of Caracas, Cilimus, Kaliaren, Sampora and
Cibeureum were worst hit. All the people are camping outdoors,"
he said.

Eka Mulyana, a civil servant at the Pancalang district office,
said that the earthquake damaged some 340 buildings in the
district and many people were still being fearful of aftershocks
so they do not want to go back home.

"Like Cilimus, most residents are staying in open fields and
temporary makeshift shelters established by the local
administration," he said.

Cibeureum village head Miskum said many people would not go
back to their houses because they had felt several aftershocks on
Friday night and early on Saturday.

Kuningan regent Arifin Setiamiharja who made a field tour to
the quake location, said the local administration would supply
food relief to the two districts immediately.

The chief of the Mitigation and Vulcanology Directorate,
Surono, said the earthquake measured 4.6 on the Richter scale and
lasted for 20 seconds on Friday evening with the epicenter 33
kilometers below ground in the regency.

"The quake was caused by the increasing activity of the Caesar
Veridis fault located between Kuningan and Majalengka," he said.

He said a 4.6 quake should not normally be strong enough to
damage so many buildings, but that the poor quality of
construction throughout the area had made the buildings and homes
too weak to withstand it.

The regency was last shaken by a similar earthquake in 1935.