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| -Signs, Portents, and the Weather- |
| Powerful earthquake kills 44 in Indonesia |
| 2009-09-03 |
| CIANJUR, Indonesia (CNN) -- Rescue workers late Wednesday were trying to clear the road into the Indonesian town of Cianjur after a major earthquake triggered a landslide, trapping residents inside their homes. The 7.0-magnitude temblor jolted the Indonesian island of Java earlier in the day, killing at least 44 people and injuring more than 400, according to the National Disaster Coordinating Agency. The landslide buried at least 11 homes where 32 people live in the town of Cianjur, local officials told CNN's Andy Saputra. The quake struck shortly before 3 p.m. (4 a.m. ET). Its epicenter was located offshore about 190 kilometers (120 miles) southeast of Jakarta, according the U.S. Geological Survey. The center was about 50 kilometers (31 miles) deep. A tsunami watch went into effect but quickly expired. The brunt of the temblor struck the West Java province, including Cianjur, located about 80 kilometers (50 miles) southeast of Jakarta. The quake also damaged buildings and cut off electricity to Tasikmalaya, a mountainous city about 115 kilometers (70 miles) northeast of the epicenter, according to a witness named Maya. Residents panicked when the quake struck, running into the streets where they stayed hours later -- fearing an aftershock. "The extent of the damage is pretty spread out, because this powerful earthquake was felt from the west coast of Java all the way to the east coast," said Saputra, who felt the 7.0-magnitude temblor in the capital city of Jakarta. The earthquake rocked high-rise buildings in Jakarta, prompting a mass evacuation in the capital's central business district. Indonesia is no stranger to major earthquakes. It is located on the "Ring of Fire," an arc of fault lines circling the Pacific Basin that is prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. In 2004, an earthquake measuring at least 9.0 in magnitude struck off the coast of the northern tip of Indonesia's Sumatra island, triggering a major tsunami in the Indian Ocean that killed more than 200,000 people in 11 countries. About three weeks ago, a series of earthquakes -- ranging in magnitude from 4.7 to 6.7 -- struck off the western coast of Sumatra. At least seven people were injured and one building collapsed. |
| Posted by:Steve White |