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Quakes trigger fears of another deadly tsunami
Source: Agencies |
January 6, 2009, Tuesday
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A SERIES of powerful earthquakes killed a 10-year-old girl and seriously injured dozens of people in remote eastern Indonesia, briefly triggering fears of another tsunami in a country still recovering from 2004's deadly waves.
One of the quakes was felt as far away as Australia and sent small tsunamis into Japan's southeastern coast.
Residents near the epicenter in Papua province rushed from their homes in search of higher ground shortly after the first 7.6-magnitude quake struck on Sunday at 4:43am local time, afraid that huge waves might wash over the island.
The epicenter was 135 kilometers from Papua's main city of Manokwari and occurred at a depth of 35 kilometers, the United States Geological Survey said. It was followed by dozens of aftershocks.
Nearly 50 people were admitted to hospitals with broken bones and head wounds, while more than 300 were treated for minor cuts, scrapes and bruises, local health official Henri Sembiring said yesterday.
About 135 homes and other buildings were badly damaged or toppled in the province, the National Disaster Coordination Agency said.
The 10-year-old girl was killed in her home when a wall collapsed, said hospital director Hengky Tewu.
Power lines fell, cutting off electricity, and the runway of Manokwari's Rendani airport was cracked, prompting the cancellation of commercial flights.
The government issued a tsunami warning but lifted it within an hour after it was confirmed the epicenter was on land, not water.
Quakes onshore pose little tsunami threat to Indonesia, but those close to the coast can churn up large waves that sometimes reach the coastlines of other countries such as Japan.
Japan reported tsunamis between 10 and 40 centimeters high hitting its shores following the quakes.
A huge quake off western Indonesia caused the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that killed about 230,000 people. Four years on, the multibillion dollar rebuilding process is almost complete.
Sunday's earthquake was felt 1,300 kilometers southwest of Papua in Australia's northern city of Darwin but no damage was reported.
One of the quakes was felt as far away as Australia and sent small tsunamis into Japan's southeastern coast.
Residents near the epicenter in Papua province rushed from their homes in search of higher ground shortly after the first 7.6-magnitude quake struck on Sunday at 4:43am local time, afraid that huge waves might wash over the island.
The epicenter was 135 kilometers from Papua's main city of Manokwari and occurred at a depth of 35 kilometers, the United States Geological Survey said. It was followed by dozens of aftershocks.
Nearly 50 people were admitted to hospitals with broken bones and head wounds, while more than 300 were treated for minor cuts, scrapes and bruises, local health official Henri Sembiring said yesterday.
About 135 homes and other buildings were badly damaged or toppled in the province, the National Disaster Coordination Agency said.
The 10-year-old girl was killed in her home when a wall collapsed, said hospital director Hengky Tewu.
Power lines fell, cutting off electricity, and the runway of Manokwari's Rendani airport was cracked, prompting the cancellation of commercial flights.
The government issued a tsunami warning but lifted it within an hour after it was confirmed the epicenter was on land, not water.
Quakes onshore pose little tsunami threat to Indonesia, but those close to the coast can churn up large waves that sometimes reach the coastlines of other countries such as Japan.
Japan reported tsunamis between 10 and 40 centimeters high hitting its shores following the quakes.
A huge quake off western Indonesia caused the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that killed about 230,000 people. Four years on, the multibillion dollar rebuilding process is almost complete.
Sunday's earthquake was felt 1,300 kilometers southwest of Papua in Australia's northern city of Darwin but no damage was reported.
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