Manokwari airport closed after quakes

Authorities in Rendani Airport, Manokwari, West Papua stopped activities in the airport following a series of powerful earthquakes that hit the city earlier on Sunday, Kompas.com reported.

The authorities and airlines operating in the airport agreed to stop all flights because of security and safety concerns.

An Express Air airlines flight heading for Manokwari from Jayapura, Papua, was forced to return following the decision.

A series of powerful earthquakes hit at dawn, cutting power lines, badly damaging buildings and killing at least three people in the area.

A 7.6-magnitude quake struck at 4:43 a.m. local time about 135 kilometers from Manokwari at a depth of 35 kilometers, the U.S. Geological Agency said. The Meteorological and Geophysics Agency recorded that the quake was followed by eight others, with shocks of decreasing intensity.

Manokwari Police chief Adj. Snr. Comr. Pit Wahyudi said that the police were working to evacuate two people buried under the debris of the Mutiara Hotel. Two hotels collapsed and hundreds of houses were damaged by the quake, he said.

A number of city residents have been evacuated to the local military command headquarters. There are approximately 70,000 people living in Manokwari. (dre)