Western Java hit by major earthquake

Western Java hit by major earthquake

JAKARTA (JP): An earthquake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale
on Wednesday afternoon jolted most of the western part of the
island of Java, including the capital Jakarta, sending people
running in panic from homes, office buildings, shopping centers,
hotels and apartments.

There were no immediate reports of serious damage or
casualties but a black-out occurred in several parts of Jakarta
and in the town of Pandeglang. Minor cracks were found at the
Lippo Carita Apartments at the popular resort of Anyer in the
northern coastal area of Banten.

There were reports from Singapore, according to AP, that the
quake also reached there and some people living in the high-rise
buildings in the tiny city-state, about 900 kilometers from Java,
felt the jolt.

Sridiharto, head of the National Meteorology and Geophysics
Office, said the tremor lasted for about three minutes, starting
at 4:32 p.m., and that the epicenter was about 72 kilometers
southwest of Panaitan Island, near the Ujung Kulon conservation
park on the western tip of Java, which is over 200 kilometers
southwest of Jakarta.

The jolt was centered at a depth of between 33 kilometers and
60 kilometers beneath the Indian Ocean, Sridiharto said.

It was one of the strongest in a series of earthquakes to rock
Java and other parts of the country over the past two years.

Wednesday was a public holiday and most workers were at home
or on holidays with families.

In Greater Jakarta, people fled from buildings, particularly
shopping centers and entertainment places, which were heavily
crowded during the public holiday.

Antara reported that several windows in its building on Jl.
Medan Merdeka in Central Jakarta were broken.

In Bogor, south of here, many people, including bus passengers
and drivers of public vehicles, fled their cars in panic.

The same sight was also seen in the popular mountainous resort
area of Puncak, which was crowded with holiday-makers from
Jakarta. Many of people left their cars on the streets and ran in
panic into the surrounding tea plantations, resulting in heavy
traffic congestion.

A sales officer of Lippo Carita Apartments, Indra, said the
apartment suffered minor cracks in one of the connecting walls of
the building.

"There are some cracks in the connecting wall but it's not
dangerous for the apartment's residents because it's not a
structural wall," Indra said during a live interview with
Elshinta Radio.

Tanjung Lesung Resort Hotel at the far-western tip of Java
felt the jolt strongly since it is located quite close to the
quake's epicenter.

"Some of our guests left their rooms immediately, but there is
no damage here," a security officer at the hotel told the Post.

Some of the residents of Pandeglang, West Java, said there was
a black-out in the town for around 15 minutes shortly after the
quake and that some buildings received minor cracks.

"Some parts of my house walls were cracked and the electricity
went out for some 10 to 15 minutes. Everybody was in a panic
here," Husein told the Post by phone. (dja/bsr/21)