September 02, 2009

Earthquake In Java Island


Evacuate Situation at Indonesia Stock Exchange Building (Jakarta Earthquake 7.1 SR) (Image via Nisaanesta, Twitpic)

Ok. Folks. This is for real. A 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit the Java Island in Indonesia at 2:55 pm. I was in the ground floor of a 2 storied office in South Jakarta and in the middle of a negotiation. Suddenly the floor started to move and soon everybody could feel it. The water in the pool next to the building was really shaking. Everybody was at a loss and I suddenly screamed requesting everybody to get out of the building. I am sure those who were in upper floors of tall buildings could feel it even more horrifyingly.

And it died down soon. I tried to call somebody but the mobile network was not working so the mobile internet was out too. The land phones were working so we could find out that everybody is safe. After about 30-40 minutes I started towards home and amidst heavy traffic I twitted about the news. Long traffic jams occured in business areas as people were running home.

The quake hit 195 kilometers (120 miles) south-southeast of Jakarta on the southern coast of the main island of Java at a depth of 50 kilometers.


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Preliminary reports say buildings collapsed in many districts. Detik.com reports that in District Nagrak, at least 18 houses were damaged by the earthquake. 18 people in Jakarta were injured and they are being treated at several hospitals in Jakarta.

Ap:
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said it was powerful enough to cause a local tsunami, but there were no immediate reports of high waves. Less than an hour later it said in a statement that "sea level readings indicate a significant tsunami was not generated" and retracted the alert.

Detik.com:
Until 16:50 pm, panic struck Tasikmalaya, West Java (115km from epicenter). Residents are still outside the home because of aftershocks, which continued to occur. As a result, heavy traffic on city streets.

Bloomberg:
Almost everyone had a phone to an ear, trying in vain to contact relatives and friends as communication lines and wireless services were rendered useless.


Ok the casualty reports are coming.

CNN:

Six people were killed in Indonesia after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Wednesday, officials said.

The quake was initially categorized as magnitude 7.4 before being downgraded to 7.0 by geological officials.


The death toll continues to rise.

15 people according to Detik News:

Tasikmalaya 4
Cianjur 10
Sukabumi 1

Head of Data Center and Public Relations National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) Priyadi Kardono told AFP on Wednesday (2 / 9 / 2009) at 18:00 pm.

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