Saturday, May 27, 2006

EARTHQUAKE IN INDONESIA KILLED THOUSANDS

It's been two years when Indonesia was struck with a calamity-the 2004 tsunami.
This morning of Saturday, another disaster killed and injured people in the ancient city of Yogyakarta, 250 miles away from the capital.


Read the entire story here.


Excerpt of the news in case, the link won't work.


Earthquake Hits Ancient City in Indonesia By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Filed at 1:29 p.m. ET



YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) -- A powerful earthquake flattened homes and hotels in central Indonesia on Saturday as people slept, killing at least 3,000 and injuring thousands more in the nation's worst disaster since the 2004 tsunami. The magnitude-6.2 quake struck at 5:54 a.m. near the ancient city of Yogyakarta, 250 miles east of the capital, Jakarta. Thousands of panicked residents fled into the streets, and some feared a tsunami would strike. Hospitals were overwhelmed with victims. The quake's epicenter was 50 miles south of the rumbling Mount Merapi volcano, and activity increased soon after the temblor. A large burst spewed hot clouds and sent debris cascading some two miles down its western flank. Bambang Dwiyanto of the Energy and Mineral Ministry could not say whether the quake caused the volcanic activity but warned that it could trigger a larger eruption. Anthony Guarino of the CalTech Seismological Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., said Indonesia has the second-highest number of erupted volcanos in historic time, outside of Japan. It has the largest number of volcanos in world -- 76. Almost all people had already been evacuated away from the volcano's danger zone, and there were no reports of injuries as a result of the eruption. 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. Saturday's quake was centered about six miles below the surface, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The strong quake knocked down houses, hotels, a hospital and government buildings, sending hysterical people running into the streets. Many roads and bridges were destroyed, hindering efforts to get taxis and pickup trucks filled with wounded to packed hospitals.




,,,

,,,,,,

No comments: