A strong earthquake shook Indonesia’s most populous island of Java on Friday night, collapsing buildings and killing at least one person.
The quake struck at 11:47 p.m. local time and triggered a tsunami warning for parts of Java’s coastline that was lifted about two hours later.
People ran out of buildings in panic in many areas and Indonesian television showed heavy traffic on roads as people left coastal areas.
National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said a 62-year-old man was confirmed dead in the Ciamis region of western Java and that there were reports of more deaths and of injuries in the same region.
He also said there were reports that buildings had collapsed in the city of Tasikmalaya in western Java and in several western Java districts.
“Houses and other buildings are damaged in many areas,” he said in a statement.
Prelim. M6.5 #EQ 0km ESE of Cipatujah, Indonesia https://t.co/6XB0tAysTT Did You Feel It? Tell us: https://t.co/RxvRtux54A pic.twitter.com/twomzy866u
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@USGS
The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake had a magnitude of 6.5 and was about 91 kilometres deep and located just inland.
Nugroho said strong tremors were felt for about 20 seconds in the capital of Jakarta and in cities and villages.
Indonesia’s MetroTV said a general hospital in the central Java town of Banyumas was damaged and patients were evacuated.
The country sits on the “Pacific Ring of Fire” and has frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
Last December, a 6.5 magnitude quake struck the Indonesian island of Sumatra, killing 104 and injuring more than 1,270 people.
