4 Dead As Earthquake Hits Indonesia’s Java Island

Residents talk near a house damaged in an earthquake in Mandalawangi, Banten province, Indonesia

(Photo: AP)

A strong earthquake that hit Java island killed four people and damaged more than 200 houses, swaying buildings as far away as Indonesia's capital, officials said on Saturday, 3 August.

The US Geological Survey said Friday the earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 was centered 151 kilometers (94 miles) from Banten province off Java's southwest coast.

Agus Wibowo, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency’s spokesman, said four people died while fleeing in panic to safety in Banten and West Java. Four others were injured.

Wibowo said 223 houses were damaged, mostly in Banten's Pandeglang region, where a deadly tsunami struck in the dark without warning last December.

Hundreds of people who had fled to temporary shelters returned home, Wibowo said.

Residents inspect buildings damaged in an earthquake in Mandalawangi, Banten province, Indonesia.

The quake was felt in Jakarta, the capital, where buildings swayed for nearly a minute. Television footage showed workers and residents running out of high-rise buildings in the city.

Indonesia, home to more than 260 million people, is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions due to its location along the Pacific "Ring of Fire."