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Powerful quake hits Indonesia's Java

Jakarta, September 2, 2009

A powerful earthquake rattled Indonesia's main island on Wednesday, seismology agencies said, shaking buildings in the capital and prompting warnings of local tsunamis along the Java coast.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

The US Geological Survey recorded the quake with a magnitude of 7.4 at a depth of 63 km (39 miles).

Indonesia's seismology agency put the magnitude at 7.3 with the epicentre 142 km (88 miles) southwest of Tasikamalaya in West Java, the Indonesian agency said.

The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was no threat of a widespread tsunami but a local tsunami watch was in place with the possibility of tsunamis affecting coasts within a few hundred km of the epicentre.

"There is a possibility of a destructive local tsunami in the Indian Ocean," the Japan Meteorological Agency said in a statement.

Residents in the capital Jakarta reported buildings shaking, and hundreds of people streamed from office blocks.

"The building first shook for about 10 seconds then stopped but then it continued again," said a Reuters witness. - Reuters




Tags: Quake | Indonesia | Java |

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