Nearly 2,000 Houses Destroyed in Quake in IndonesiaNearly 2,000 houses were destroyed in Wednesday's earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter Scale which shook West Java, Indonesia, according to national newspapers Thursday.No fatalities were reported, but around 30 employees of the PT Honey Lady factory in Bogor, situated around 60 kilometers south of Jakarta, were injured when 2,500 workers, mostly women, panicked and tried to flee the factory. In Cibadak village near Sukabumi, some 100 kilometers south of Jakarta, at least 35 workers were being treated for shock. By Wednesday night, nearly 5,000 people were seeking temporary refuge at their neighbors' and relatives' houses as well as mosques. The epicenter of the tectonic quake which lasted some 20 seconds was in the area of Sukabumi. The quake was also felt by residents as far away as in Jakarta, Bogor and Bandung, capital of West Java, but with less intensity. In Bandung, people rushed out of their houses and offices as soon as they felt the quake at 08:10 a.m. local time (01:10 GMT). Many shops turned on their alarms ordering people to leave the buildings. Three buildings in the city were slightly damaged by the tremor. The quake did not disrupt the activities of people in Jakarta. The head of the seismotectonic division at the geological research and development center in Bandung Engkon K. Kertapati said at least nine quakes hit Sukabumi this month and Wednesday's tremor was the strongest. Wednesday's quake came only a month after a strong 7.3 magnitude quake shook Bengkulu in West Sumatra, killing 130 people and leaving thousands homeless. |
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