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Powerful earthquake kills 34 in Indonesia, dozens feared buried
CIANJUR, Indonesia (CNN) -- Rescue workers late Wednesday were trying to clear the road into this Indonesian town after a major earthquake triggered a landslide, trapping residents inside their homes.
The 7.0-magnitude tremor jolted the Indonesian island of Java earlier in the day, killing at least 34 people and injuring more than 300, according to Indonesian Health Ministry official Rustam Pakaya. Another 40 are missing and possibly trapped, he said.
The landslide buried at least 11 homes where 32 people live in the town of Cianjur, local officials told CNN's Andy Saputra.
"They're sending in heavy machinery and working all through the night to get this rescue under way," Saputra said.
The quake struck shortly before 3 p.m. (4 a.m. ET). Its epicenter was located offshore about 190 kilometers (120 miles) southeast of Jakarta, according the U.S. Geological Survey. The center was about 50 kilometers (31 miles) deep. A tsunami watch went into effect but quickly expired.
The brunt of the temblor struck the West Java province, including Cianjur, located about 80 kilometers (50 miles) southeast of Jakarta. The quake also damaged buildings and cut off electricity to Tasikmalaya, a mountainous city about 115 kilometers (70 miles) northeast of the epicenter, according to a witness named Maya. Residents panicked when the quake struck, running into the streets where they stayed hours later -- fearing an aftershock.
"The extent of the damage is pretty spread out, because this powerful earthquake was felt from the west coast of Java all the way to the east coast," said Saputra, who felt the 7.0-magnitude temblor in the capital city of Jakarta.
The earthquake rocked high-rise buildings in Jakarta, prompting a mass evacuation in the capital's central business district.
"I was on the 13th floor of our office building, and you know we could feel the building (shake) from left to right," Saputra said. "We all ran to the fire escape and escaped from there."
Beth Kolko was on the 13th floor of an office building in Jakarta when she felt the quake.
"It seemed pretty mild at first," said Kolko, a professor at the University of Washington in Seattle. "Then it got very intense, very quickly."
The building began to swing "pretty hard," triggering panic and sending people crowding into the stairwell, she said.
"I stayed in the office up against the wall ... trying to decide whether to make a run for the stairwell or wait it out, and I waited it out," she said.
But when the swaying didn't stop, she said, she decided to make a run for it.
"A lot of people were streaming down, you could hear people praying," she said.
Indonesia is no stranger to major earthquakes. It is located on the "Ring of Fire," an arc of fault lines circling the Pacific Basin that is prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
In 2004, an earthquake measuring at least 9.0 in magnitude struck off the coast of the northern tip of Indonesia's Sumatra island, triggering a major tsunami in the Indian Ocean that killed more than 200,000 people in 11 countries. iReport.com: Swimming pool shakes during quake
About three weeks ago, a series of earthquakes -- ranging in magnitude from 4.7 to 6.7 -- struck off the western coast of Sumatra. At least seven people were injured and one building collapsed.
Powerful earthquake kills 34 in Indonesia, dozens feared buried - CNN.com
CIANJUR, Indonesia (CNN) -- Rescue workers late Wednesday were trying to clear the road into this Indonesian town after a major earthquake triggered a landslide, trapping residents inside their homes.
The 7.0-magnitude tremor jolted the Indonesian island of Java earlier in the day, killing at least 34 people and injuring more than 300, according to Indonesian Health Ministry official Rustam Pakaya. Another 40 are missing and possibly trapped, he said.
The landslide buried at least 11 homes where 32 people live in the town of Cianjur, local officials told CNN's Andy Saputra.
"They're sending in heavy machinery and working all through the night to get this rescue under way," Saputra said.
The quake struck shortly before 3 p.m. (4 a.m. ET). Its epicenter was located offshore about 190 kilometers (120 miles) southeast of Jakarta, according the U.S. Geological Survey. The center was about 50 kilometers (31 miles) deep. A tsunami watch went into effect but quickly expired.
The brunt of the temblor struck the West Java province, including Cianjur, located about 80 kilometers (50 miles) southeast of Jakarta. The quake also damaged buildings and cut off electricity to Tasikmalaya, a mountainous city about 115 kilometers (70 miles) northeast of the epicenter, according to a witness named Maya. Residents panicked when the quake struck, running into the streets where they stayed hours later -- fearing an aftershock.
"The extent of the damage is pretty spread out, because this powerful earthquake was felt from the west coast of Java all the way to the east coast," said Saputra, who felt the 7.0-magnitude temblor in the capital city of Jakarta.
The earthquake rocked high-rise buildings in Jakarta, prompting a mass evacuation in the capital's central business district.
"I was on the 13th floor of our office building, and you know we could feel the building (shake) from left to right," Saputra said. "We all ran to the fire escape and escaped from there."
Beth Kolko was on the 13th floor of an office building in Jakarta when she felt the quake.
"It seemed pretty mild at first," said Kolko, a professor at the University of Washington in Seattle. "Then it got very intense, very quickly."
The building began to swing "pretty hard," triggering panic and sending people crowding into the stairwell, she said.
"I stayed in the office up against the wall ... trying to decide whether to make a run for the stairwell or wait it out, and I waited it out," she said.
But when the swaying didn't stop, she said, she decided to make a run for it.
"A lot of people were streaming down, you could hear people praying," she said.
Indonesia is no stranger to major earthquakes. It is located on the "Ring of Fire," an arc of fault lines circling the Pacific Basin that is prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
In 2004, an earthquake measuring at least 9.0 in magnitude struck off the coast of the northern tip of Indonesia's Sumatra island, triggering a major tsunami in the Indian Ocean that killed more than 200,000 people in 11 countries. iReport.com: Swimming pool shakes during quake
About three weeks ago, a series of earthquakes -- ranging in magnitude from 4.7 to 6.7 -- struck off the western coast of Sumatra. At least seven people were injured and one building collapsed.
Powerful earthquake kills 34 in Indonesia, dozens feared buried - CNN.com
