Magnitude-6.4 quake rattles Jakarta

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Fri, 10/16/2009 5:42 PM  |  National

Aftershock: Workers gather at the open space outside a high rise building on Jl. Thamrin, Central Jakarta, on Friday after a 6.4-magnitude earthquake jolted the western tip of Java. Antara/Andika Wahyu

An earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale was felt in Jakarta at about 5 p.m. on Friday. This was the second strong temblor in as many months to be felt in the capital.

According to data from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency, the epicenter of the quake was in the Sunda Strait, about 42 kilometers northwest of Ujung Kulon in Banten province, around 185 kilometers southwest of Jakarta, at a depth of 55 kilometers beneath the ocean floor.

The tremor was also felt in Tanjung Karang in Lampung, and in Bandung.

No immediate tsunami warnings were issued following the quake.

The earthquake stirred a panic among people working in Jakarta’s high-rise buildings, who scrambled for fire stairs seeking safety.

Jakarta was also shaken by a magnitude-7.3 quake on Sept. 2, which devastated areas on West Java’s southern coast.

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