6.4 Magnitude Earthquake Rocks Indonesia, Death Toll from September 30 Quake at 1,117

6.4 magnitude earthquake rocks Indonesia

    JAKARTA, Oct. 16, 2009, (Xinhua) --

A shallow earthquake with a magnitude of 6.4 struck off the western part of Java in Indonesia on Friday, Meteorology and Geophysics Agency said here.

    The quake occurred at 16:52 Jakarta time (0952 GMT) with the epicenter 42 km northwest of Ujung Kulon of Banten province in western Java and 10 km under sea bed, an official with the agency Rahmat Triyono told Xinhua.

    The shake was felt in Jakarta, triggering panic among people working in high buildings.

    The intensity of the quake was felt at 4 to 5 MMI (Modified Mercally Intensity) in Ujung Kulon, 2 to 3 in Jakarta and 3 to 4 at Sukabumi of West Java province, he said.

    The disaster management agency and the Health Ministry both confirmed there were no initial reports of damage or casualties.

    Triyono said only earthquakes measured more than 7.0 magnitude may cause tsunami.

    Indonesia, with a population of 230 million, sits on a quake-prone zone called the Pacific Ring of Fire, where two continental plates, stretching from Western hemisphere to Japan, meet that causes frequent and seismic and volcanic movements.

More quakes to occur in Indonesia's West Sumatra in 30 years: expert

    JAKARTA, Oct. 16, 2009, (Xinhua) --

More earthquakes would occur with stronger magnitude in the next 30 years in Indonesia's West Sumatra province, where a 7.9 magnitude quake killed more than 1,000 people and left thousands of others missing last month, the Kompas.com reported here on Friday.

    "We estimate that the magnitude would reach around 8.8, or 0.1 less than that," Kery Shieh, head of Singaporean Earth Conservatory, was cited by the website as saying.

    At a recent presentation delivered in Nanyang University of Technology, Singapore, Kerry said the incoming quakes could take longer time than 4.5 seconds on September 30 in West Sumatra. "The quake could last more than 5 minutes."

    Kerry is working with a team that has been studying the quake phenomenon in West Sumatra province.

    Citing the results of earthquake history and geological study in West Sumatra, Kerry said that the deadly earthquake on September 30 was only the beginning.

    Kerry said that the latest earthquakes in the area failed to reduce and 'taming', the enormous energy from the earth plates movement far under the ground that would gradually be released within the next 30 years through earthquakes.

Death toll from Indonesia quake officially put at 1,117

    JAKARTA, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) --

Indonesia's West Sumatra province on Wednesday officially put the final death toll of the 7.9-magnitude earthquake on Sept. 30 at 1,117.

    West Sumatra's Governor Gamawan Fauzi said that the latest data is final and he assured that casualty would not increase. However, figures for remote areas will not be verified until October 20.

    The data was announced at 4 p.m. local time (0900 GMT) by the governor at the disaster integrated commando post in Padang City after holding coordination meeting with all apparatus of local governments hit by the earthquake.

    "The final data showed that casualties are 1,117 and two people are declared missing. As many as 210 missing people at Padangpariaman regency are declared as victims. Meanwhile, the two missing people are still declared missing because their relatives are against their being declared dead," said Gamawan.

    Other data showed that 1,214 people are heavily injured and 1,688 got light injuries.

    Meanwhile, 135,448 houses are seriously damaged and 78,604 are lightly damaged.

    Also damaged were 2,163 classrooms, 51 health facilities, 1,001worship houses, 21 bridges, 178 roads and 130 irrigation infrastructures.

    Furthermore, Gamawan said that the data will be presented on Thursday to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Jakarta so that the central government will be able to decide the emergency response period.

    Gamawan said he personally hopes that the period will be ended sooner than later.

    "Prolonged emergency response will cause bad psychological effect to people," he said.

    Gamawan intended to oblige all buildings to be fortified.

    "At least, for public service (buildings), there would not be a bargain. They should obey the (quake) standard. For example, in Padang with assumption of 8 Richter scale quake, building should have three floors at maximum," he said.

    Gamawan also said that careless local government officials in the construction regulation will be punished. 

Editor: Mu Xuequan