Massive quake rattles Sumatra

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Wed, 10/03/2007 3:49 PM

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Padang

A powerful undersea earthquake rocked Sumatra on Tuesday, prompting authorities to issue a brief tsunami alert.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage in the earthquake.

The temblor, which struck at 10:43 a.m. and measured 6.4 on the Richter scale, caused panic in the region, which was hit by a deadly quake last month and has experienced a string of strong aftershocks.

Last month's earthquake killed more than 20 people and damaged thousands of buildings, mainly in Bengkulu and West Sumatra provinces.

The Meteorology and Geophysics Agency said in a text message the epicenter of Tuesday's quake was at a depth of 20 kilometers, some 160 km southwest of Lais district in Bengkulu.

""The quake was quite strong. People panicked because they are still traumatized by the previous earthquakes. All of us ran out of the building,"" Evi Nurhidayati, a police officer in Bengkulu, told Reuters.

An official in North Bengkulu district, where Lais is located, told ElShinta radio the tremor was quite strong and lasted for about half a minute, sending some people running from their homes.

He said that after the quake last month, people were told to stay alert but not to panic.

""So far there is no information about any damage, but most houses are already cracked so maybe this made them worse,"" he was quoted by AFP as saying.

Head of the seismology division at the meteorology agency, Fauzi, raised fears that buildings weakened by the quake last month could collapse.

""Even though today's quake was not really big, houses are vulnerable and we are worried about that,"" he said as quoted by Reuters.

A tsunami warning was issued but then withdrawn. Tsunami alerts are routinely issued after a massive quake-triggered tsunami in December 2004 devastated Aceh and parts of North Sumatra.

A tsunami warning system is still being installed across the country.

Tuesday's earthquake was also felt in parts of West Sumatra but it did not cause panic among residents.

Only some employees in high-rise buildings, which were affected by last month's quake, were seen scrambling into the street.

West Sumatra Governor Gamawan Fauzi said Tuesday there were plans to move his office to the outskirts of Padang city. The office suffered damage in last month's quake.

He said the proposal to build a new office building, which will be located in the Aie Pacah area, was submitted to the Home Ministry last week. The current four-story building was built in 1963.

""I've asked for Rp 280 billion from the state budget to build the new office while we acquire the land. This is still just a proposal,"" Gamawan said.

West Sumatra Legislative Council Deputy Speaker Mahyeldi Ansharullah said the council was not consulted on the plan but supported the proposal.

""As long as the construction of the new office is financed by the state budget. The provincial budget is prioritized to help quake victims recover after being hit by several earthquakes,"" he said.

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