Strong quake rocks Bengkulu

Strong quake rocks Bengkulu

BENGKULU: Bengkulu province was rocked by a tectonic quake
measuring 5.36 on the Richter scale on Saturday at 7:16 a.m. West
Indonesia Standard Time, Antara reported on Sunday.

Kepahyang geophysical station chief in Bengkulu, Armien
Paimin, said the shocks were quite violent in areas southeast of
Kepahyang district, Rejang Lebong, Bandarlampung and Kotabumi.

Separately, from Bandung, West Java, it was reported that an
earthquake felt by residents in several parts of Sumatra and West
Java on Saturday morning was not linked to activities of the
volcano Anak Krakatau in the Sunda Strait.

A spokesman for the Meteorological and Geophysical Agency in
Jakarta said on Saturday night that the quake's epicenter was 80
km deep in the Indian Ocean, about 350 km west of Jakarta.

The quake measured 6.0 on the Richter scale was located at
6.65 degrees south latitude and 103.99 degrees east longitude,
the agency said.

There was no immediate report on casualties or material losses
caused by the quake.

The agency recorded that the quake was felt by people living
in Jakarta and Bandung with a Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI)
of two and in Kotabumi and Bengkulu, both in Sumatra, as MMI two
to MMI three.

Earthquakes with a magnitude of five can cause considerable
damage, while those of six can lead to severe destruction.

Indonesia, comprising thousands of islands which are part of a
so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, is prone to earthquakes.