As a 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Lebak, Banten province, on Tuesday, many Jakartans felt the jolt as well, sending city dwellers into panic mode.

Office workers who had just returned from their lunch breaks scrambled to find the nearest exit, trying to get out of tall buildings and to safer ground.

Personnel at the military headquarters in Cipayung, East Jakarta, were seen rushing out of their offices, while others were on their phones contacting relatives. Amid the panic, residents shared pictures and videos of the situation on social media and on messaging apps.

However, for some Jakartans, work was more important.

Farhanisa, a 22-year-old account executive, was having a lunch meeting with a client at a restaurant at Cilandak Town Square in South Jakarta when the earthquake occurred.

Farhanisa and her client chose to stay inside the restaurant and continued their lunch.

“I noticed many people inside the restaurant ran outside because the earthquake was quite intense,” she said.

When asked why she did not followed suit, she simply answered that she had a deadline to meet.

“I don’t see any reason for panicking seeing that the restaurant building did not collapse or anything,” she said.

Meanwhile, Rina, a 22-year-old employee of a company in Thamrin, Central Jakarta, also decided to keep working despite the earthquake. She chose to stay inside the building while her colleagues ran outside.

Rina, who was working on 11th floor, said there was nothing she could do in the situation.

“Climbing down the emergency stairs is tiring, and you can’t use the elevator either. So I decided to stay and finish my work instead. Luckily nothing happened, considering that I’m still alive,” she added.

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) initially said the magnitude of the earthquake was 6.4 but later revised it to 6.1. No tsunami warning was issued.

The agency said the center of the quake was located 81 kilometers southwest of the provincial city of Lebak at a depth of 10-km.

According to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), hundreds of buildings in West Java and Banten were damaged in the quake. No casualties had been reported as of Tuesday night.

Protective measures during an earthquake, according to the BMKG, include taking cover under a sturdy desk or table to protect the head and body from debris, and going outside.

The agency also suggests staying away from windows, mirrors and hanging objects because they are usually the first to break or collapse.

Maretha, a 26-year-old employee in Jagakarsa, South Jakarta, said her company held disaster drills regularly.

“When the earthquake occurred, most of the employees on my floor panicked because everything around us was shaking. Luckily, we were prepared,” she said.

Maretha, along with other employees, immediately used the emergency stairs to get to the company’s gathering point.

Separately, Yuskar Lase, a structural expert from the University of Indonesia (UI), claimed that the majority of high-rise buildings in Jakarta were earthquake resistant as the government had imposed a nationals standard for earthquake-resistant buildings.

Tuesday’s quake took place more than a month after a 6.9 magnitude earthquake in the southern part of Java, late on Dec. 15. The quake caused severe damage in several cities along West and Central Java. The quake was also reportedly felt in Jakarta. (dpk)

Arya Dipa, Safrin La Batu, Winda A Charmila contributed to this story

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