Indonesia earthquake kills approx. 3,500

AP ^ | 05/27/06

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Indonesia earthquake kills nearly 450

By IRWAN FIRDAUS, Associated Press Writer

6 minutes ago

A powerful earthquake flattened buildings in central Indonesia early Saturday, killing nearly 450 people, injuring thousands of others and leaving hospitals appealing for help.

The magnitude 6.2 quake struck at 5:54 a.m. near the southwest of the city of Yogyakarta, 250 miles east of the capital, Jakarta, as many people slept, causing death and damage there and in at least two other nearby towns, officials said.

In the chaos that followed the quake, rumors of an impending tsunami sent thousands of people on Java fleeing to higher ground in cars and motorbikes. But Japan's Meteorological Agency said there was no danger of a tsunami.

The quake also triggered heightened activity in nearby Mount Merapi volcano, which has been spewing out clouds of hot ash, gas and lava for several weeks, a scientist said.

The death toll rose steadily through the morning and eight hours after it struck, the Indonesian Red Cross put the death toll at 443. Morgue officials and the privately run el-Shinta radio said at least 393 bodies were lying in nine hospitals in the region.

The Red Cross said more than 2,800 people were injured in the temblor, many from collapsed homes and buildings.

"We expect the number to keep rising," said Arifin Muhadi, head the Indonesian Red Cross' disaster division. "There are many rural areas we have not yet been able to reach."

Regional hospitals put out an appeal for assistance to help with the onslaught of injuries.

"Please tell the central government to send help, we need help here," said Kusmarwanto of Bantul Muhammadiyah Hospital, the closest hospital to the quake's epicenter.

"There so many casualties. Houses ... are flattened. Many people still need to be evacuated," he said, adding that his hospital alone had 39 dead bodies and the numbers were rising.

Witnesses at hospitals said hundreds of injured were arriving for emergency treatment, many with broken bones and cuts.

TV footage showed damaged hotels and government buildings, and several collapsed buildings.

The quake cracked the runway in Yogyakarta's airport, closing it to aircraft until at least Sunday while inspections take place, Transport Minister Hatta Radjasa said.

Electricity and communications were also down in parts of the city, police said.

"It felt really powerful, and the whole building shook," said Narman, a receptionist who goes by one name at a hotel in Yogyakarta. "Everyone ran from their rooms."

The quake's epicenter was close to the Mount Merapi, which has been rumbling for weeks. Activity increased as a result of the temblor, with one eruption soon after the earthquake sending debris some 2 miles down its western flank, said Subandrio, a vulcanologist monitoring the peak.

"The quake has disturbed the mountain," he said.

There were no reports of injuries as a result of the eruption.

Activity at Mount Merapi, one of the world's most active volcanoes, has picked up in recent weeks and almost all villagers living near the danger zone have been evacuated.

Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanos and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

A magnitude 9.1 earthquake on Dec. 26, 2004, under the sea off the coast of Indonesia's Sumatra Island triggered a tsunami that killed more than 131,000 people in nearby Aceh province, and more than 100,000 others in nearly a dozen other countries.

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The quake also triggered heightened activity in nearby Mount Merapi volcano, which has been spewing out clouds of hot ash, gas and lava for several weeks, a scientist said.

....

The quake's epicenter was close to the Mount Merapi, which has been rumbling for weeks. Activity increased as a result of the temblor, with one eruption soon after the earthquake sending debris some 2 miles down its western flank, said Subandrio, a vulcanologist monitoring the peak.

Hmm... a quake followed by volcanic eruption? That would be really devastating

[kinoxi]

sounds bad

[MEG33]

http://today.reuters.com/tv/videoChannel.aspx?storyid=4d72c644c590fd0144e21d9b94fe937eff4df9d3

Video here..

[HAL9000]

AFP via Babelfish translation -

ALARM - Seism in Indonesia: at least 1.606 dead

JAKARTA - At least 1.606 people died Saturday in a violent one seism who struck the island indonésienne of Java, according to the ministry for the social Affairs.

[stlnative]

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/topofthehour.aspx?StoryId=40027

Ministry: At least 1,600 dead in Indonesian quake

A figure of 1,606 fatalities was based on tallies compiled from five districts in Yogyakarta and Central Java provinces, Desi Desmawati, an official at the ministry's disaster relief center, told AFP. AFP

[geopyg]

Sounds like (hopefully) folks had left the area of the volcano so hope they are out of harms way. I hope the vulcanologist has the place wired and they can learn something about the mechanisms.

[MEG33]

05/20/06 - The Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) spends its first night in the Philippines anchored off the coast of Manila May 7, 2006. Mercy is on a scheduled five-month deployment to deliver aid and humanitarian assistance to the Pacific Islands and South and Southeast Asia

I would guess that the USNS Mercy is on the way to help out.

[geopyg]

Providence or good tactics - this ship will surely be needed (and hopefully appreciated).

[fivekid]

Ping :)

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Strong Indonesia quake kills nearly 2,000

By IRWAN FIRDAUS, Associated Press Writer

30 minutes ago



A powerful earthquake flattened buildings in central Indonesia early Saturday, killing nearly 2,000 people and injuring thousands more in the country's worst disaster since the Asian tsunami, officials said.

The magnitude 6.2 quake struck near the ancient city of Yogyakarta around dawn as many people slept, causing death and damage in many nearby towns.

Roads and bridges were destroyed, hindering efforts to get the wounded to hospitals. Some phone lines also were cut.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono ordered the army to help evacuate victims, as panicked residents ran into the smoldering streets, many clutching young children. He said he would head to the disaster zone in Central Java province later Saturday.

Nine hours after the quake struck, the number of dead stood at 1,987, said Sopar Djaya, an official in the Social Affairs Ministry's task force office, with two thirds of the fatalities in the devastated district of Bantul.

"The numbers just keep rising," said Arifin Muhadi of the Indonesian Red Cross, adding that nearly 2,900 people were hurt in the disaster — the worst to hit the sprawling archipelago since the 2004 tsunami.

Muhadi's death toll stood at around 1,400, but he said his agency had not been able to contact authorities in some of the hard hit areas.

[dawn53]

latest AP figure ... 2500 dead (at least)

[Iowa Granny]

ping

[Jemian]

Oh my. This is really awful.

[mewzilla]

According to this link, the epicenter was near Mount Merapi and there was an eruption after the quake.

Folks there are in our prayers.

[SE Mom]

What a nightmare..prayers sent.

[nuconvert]

Has there been any news yet on the Buddhist temple of Borobudur?

[RaceBannon]

no, wasn't that an eruption that created a quake?

That mean the eruption is getting worse and causing quakes.

[RayChuang88]

According to the latest AP dispatch the death toll has exceeded 2,700.