Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Jakarta earthquake: Magnitude 6.5 tremors hit Indonesia and collapse buildings

Deaths reported but officials unable to say how many people have been killed 

Henry Austin
Friday 15 December 2017 19:50 GMT
Comments
Indonesia has been struck by an earthquake
Indonesia has been struck by an earthquake (EPA)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A strong 6.5 magnitude earthquake rocked the Indonesian capital Jakarta and other cities on the country's most populous island of Java, killing an unknown number of people.

There were reports of collapsed buildings and authorities issued a tsunami warning for parts of Java's coastline after the quake struck, initially triggering a tsumani warning which has since been lifted.

People ran out of buildings in panic in many areas and Indonesian television showed heavy traffic on roads as people left coastal areas.

Deaths were reported, according to Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for the country's National Disaster Mitigation Agency. He could not immediately provide details on how many had been killed.

A 62-year-old man was confirmed dead in the Ciamis region of western Java.

There were also reports that buildings had collapsed in the city of Tasikmalaya in western Java and in several other districts.

Mr Nugroho said strong tremors were felt for about 20 seconds in the capital of Jakarta and in cities and villages in western and central Java.

The US Geological Survey said the earthquake had a magnitude of 6.5 and was about 56 miles deep and located inland. Indonesian authorities reported a quake of similar magnitude offshore of Java.

Indonesia sits on the "Pacific Ring of Fire" and has frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in