A series of powerful earthquakes measuring up to magnitude 6,9 struck Indonesia’s remote Papua province Friday, killing 26 people, injuring as many as 600 and destroying hundreds of houses, authorities said.
The quakes hit hardest in the town of Nabire, damaging the local airport, a bridge, roads and buildings, said Margiono, a seismologist with the Meteorological and Geophysics Agency in the provincial capital, Jayapura.
Nabire official Johan Wanaha said the death toll has risen to 26, with hundreds more injured.
”Eighteen of those seriously injured have been evacuated to Biak because Nabire’s hospital is also damaged,” he said, adding that he could not put an exact figure on the number of injured.
”Even I myself and my family have to stay under a tent outside my damaged house. I think no one wants to stay inside because we’re all still afraid,” he told a reporter.
Margiono, who like many Indonesians uses a single name, said villagers in the area had reported a tsunami, or tidal wave, in the nearby Cendrawasih Bay, but this could not be confirmed.
Papua governor Jacob Solossa was expected to inspect the area and coordinate rescue operations Saturday, officials said.
Fauzi, a meteorologist in Jakarta, said up to 600 people were injured and he expects the numbers to rise. The police said they could not confirm that figure.
Nabire is situated on the northern coast of Papua, 3 200km northeast of Jakarta. The province, formerly known as Irian Jaya, occupies the western half of New Guinea island.
The quake also struck the nearby towns of Enarotali and Manokwari.
”People are staying in tents. They don’t dare go home. They’re still afraid of more quakes,” Musa Horen, a municipal official in Manokwari was quoted as telling Jakarta’s El-Shinta radio.
The quake damaged about 500 houses in the area, but no casualties were reported, he said. Most homes in the area are lightweight structures built from bamboo and thatch.
Several jolts were felt throughout the region from 4.05am to 6.30am local time.
The largest, magnitude 6,9, struck at 6.05am. It was centered 7km east of Nabire town and 80km deep. It lasted about 30 seconds and was immediately followed by nine aftershocks.
The United States Geological Survey, which tracks earthquakes worldwide, estimated the magnitude at 6,8 and said it was 10km deep. The Hong Kong Observatory put the time at seven minutes later.
Margiono said he believed the slight difference in the reporting of time and magnitude of the quake was due to differences in the calibration of their respective equipment.
An earthquake of magnitude six can cause considerable damage if it hits residential areas.
Indonesia, the world’s largest archipelago nation, is prone to earthquakes because of its location on the so-called Pacific ”Ring of Fire” — volcanic arcs and oceanic trenches partly encircling the Pacific Basin. — Sapa-AP