ID :
45315
Thu, 02/12/2009 - 16:25
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https://oananews.org//node/45315
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FIVE INJURED, BUILDINGS DAMAGED AS POWERFUL QUAKE HITS TALAUD ISLAND
Manado, Indonesia, Feb 12 (ANTARA) - Five people were injured and many buildings were damaged as a powerful earthquake measuring 7.4 on the Richter scale jolted Talaud Islands north of Sulawesi in the early morning of Thursday, meteorology and geophysics agency (BMG) said.
In Rainis subdistrict dozens of houses were destroyed and hundreds of people fled their homes in panic for fear of aftershock as the quake hit the area at 1:34 a.m. local time on Thursday.
The epicenter of the earthquake at a shallow depth of about 10 km
was located at 3.85 degrees northern latitude and 126.67 degrees southern longitude, in North Sulawesi waters, some 112 km southeast of Melonguane, Talaud district.
Ronald Monto, a local residents of Rainis subdistrict, said hundreds of people who had fled their homes to safer areas were reluctant to return because the first earthquake was followed by several aftershocks.
He said a number of schools were closed and students had to stay at home.
A school teacher, Oscar Lumepa, said there was no instruction from local authority to close the schools but the teachers made up their mind at their own initiative to suspend teaching and learning activity for the time being.
Meanwhile, Talaud district administration spokesman Ishak Tamaroba said a hospital, two churches, and many houses in the area were heavily damaged by that powerful earthquake.
Tamaroba added that a number of patients at the damaged hospital were sent back to their respective homes but other patients who had to undergo intensive treatment had to remain in the hospital.
Manado BMG spokesman Mudjianto said the earthquake had a potential to cause tsunami and therefore the agency issued tsunami warning but later it was lifted.
Earlier on Wednesday, North Sulawesi was also jolted by an earthquake measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale at 12:17 local time at noon but there was no report of casualties or material damage.
BMG said the epicenter of Wednesday's quake was located 0.15 degrees southern latitude and 124.55 degrees eastern longitude at a depth of 10 kilometers below sea level, or some 181 kilometers southeast of the province.
In Rainis subdistrict dozens of houses were destroyed and hundreds of people fled their homes in panic for fear of aftershock as the quake hit the area at 1:34 a.m. local time on Thursday.
The epicenter of the earthquake at a shallow depth of about 10 km
was located at 3.85 degrees northern latitude and 126.67 degrees southern longitude, in North Sulawesi waters, some 112 km southeast of Melonguane, Talaud district.
Ronald Monto, a local residents of Rainis subdistrict, said hundreds of people who had fled their homes to safer areas were reluctant to return because the first earthquake was followed by several aftershocks.
He said a number of schools were closed and students had to stay at home.
A school teacher, Oscar Lumepa, said there was no instruction from local authority to close the schools but the teachers made up their mind at their own initiative to suspend teaching and learning activity for the time being.
Meanwhile, Talaud district administration spokesman Ishak Tamaroba said a hospital, two churches, and many houses in the area were heavily damaged by that powerful earthquake.
Tamaroba added that a number of patients at the damaged hospital were sent back to their respective homes but other patients who had to undergo intensive treatment had to remain in the hospital.
Manado BMG spokesman Mudjianto said the earthquake had a potential to cause tsunami and therefore the agency issued tsunami warning but later it was lifted.
Earlier on Wednesday, North Sulawesi was also jolted by an earthquake measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale at 12:17 local time at noon but there was no report of casualties or material damage.
BMG said the epicenter of Wednesday's quake was located 0.15 degrees southern latitude and 124.55 degrees eastern longitude at a depth of 10 kilometers below sea level, or some 181 kilometers southeast of the province.
