Indonesian Earthquakes Kill 3, Injure 45

Indonesian Earthquakes Kill 3, Injure 45

Two strong earthquakes jolted Indonesia Sunday and early Monday, killing three people and injuring at least 45 others. The first quake, a magnitude 6.1 temblor, struck late Sunday off the coast of Sumatra island at a depth of 20 kilometers.

Hours later, just after midnight, a second earthquake hit 45 kilometers west of Raba, a town on Sumbawa island, at a depth of 30 kilometers. The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake off the Indonesian coast at preliminary magnitude of 6.4.

Indonesian Health Ministry official Rustam Pakaya said one child was among those killed by the quake. Dozens of buildings were damaged or destroyed.

The Indonesian archipelago is prone to earthquakes and is located in a belt of intense seismic activity known as the Ring of Fire.

In September, 23 people were killed when an 8.4 magnitude quake hit the Bengkulu area in west Sumatra.

In December 2004, a tsunami triggered by an underwater earthquake killed an estimated 230,000 people near Indian Ocean coastlines, including more than 160,000 people in Indonesia's Aceh province.

ENDS

More: Latest World News | Top World News | World Digest | Archives

© Scoop Media