Strong quake shakes Indonesia’s capital; no tsunami alert
A powerful earthquake has shaken parts of Indonesia’s main island of Java, causing buildings in the capital to sway, but there are no immediate reports of serious damage or casualties
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 powerful earthquake shook parts of Indonesia’s main island of Java on Friday, causing buildings in the capital to sway, but there were no immediate reports of serious damage or casualties. Officials said there was no danger of a tsunami.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude 6.6 quake was located in the Indian Ocean about 88 kilometers (54 miles) southwest of Labuan, a coastal town in Banten province. It was centered at a depth of 37 kilometers (23 miles), it said.
Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency said there was no danger of a tsunami.
Earthquakes occur frequently across the sprawling archipelago nation, but it is uncommon for them to be felt in the capital, Jakarta Residents of high-rises in the city of 10 million felt a few seconds of swaying. Even two-story homes shook strongly in the satellite city of Tangerang.
“The tremor was horrible ... everything in my room was swinging,” said Laila Anjasari, a Jakarta resident who lives on the 19th floor of an apartment building, “We ran out and down the stairs in panic.”
Indonesia is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on major geological faults known as the Pacific “Ring of Fire.”
In January last year, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake killed at least 105 people and injured nearly 6,500 in West Sulawesi province.
In 2004, an extremely powerful Indian Ocean quake set off a tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people in a dozen countries, most of them in Indonesia’s Aceh province.