A powerful earthquake jolted the southwest coast of Indonesia's Java island yesterday afternoon, triggering tidal waves that destroyed several tourist hotels and houses and killed at least 37 people, officials and witnesses said.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said at least 37 people were killed in the quake-triggered tsunami that swept the southern coast of West Java Province and also destroyed fishing boats.
The tremblor, measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale, struck Jakarta and parts of West Java at about 3:20pm, said Jajad, an official at Jakarta's National Meteorology and Geophysics Agency.
The quake prompted the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center to issue a tsunami warning in the Indian Ocean for Indonesia's Java and Sumatra islands and Australia's Christmas and Cococs islands.
A witness who identified herself as Teti said the quake triggered huge waves up to 2m high that swamped several hotels and homes on the southern coast of west Java.
"I saw the big waves sweep away hotels and homes here on the beach area," Teti told Elshinta private radio. "There were also many fishing boats swept away by the big waves."
She and other witnesses saw at least three people believed to be dead lying on Pangandaran beach, one of West Java's top tourist spots.
Yudhoyono, whose 21-month-old presidency has been marred by massive natural disasters including the 2004 Asian Tsunami, said rescue workers were conducting search and rescue operations throughout the coastal region.
"I received reports from the Ciamis district chief that at least five people have died from the quake-triggered tsunami," Yudhoyono told reporters at the presidential palace.
A military officer in the West Java district of Garut confirmed that one fisherman died after the wave crashed onto the shore in Pameungpeuk, while other officials said an unknown number of other people were dead.
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