Earthquake Of 5.6 Magnitude Hits Indonesia, Kills Over 50 People

Information was still being collected of the extent of the damage and casualties at the time of the writing of this news, but it confirmed that dozens of buildings were damaged in Indonesia's main island of Java.?

The US Geological Survey said the earthquake was centered in the Cianjur region in West Java province at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles).

Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency said dozens of buildings were damaged, including an Islamic boarding school, a hospital, and other public facilities.?

The earthquake was felt strongly in the greater Jakarta area. High rises in the capital Jakarta swayed and some were evacuated.?

"The quake felt so strong. My colleagues and I decided to get out of our office on the ninth floor using the emergency stairs," said Vidi Primadhania, an employee in South Jakarta.

Earthquakes occur frequently across the sprawling archipelago nation of Indonesia, but it is uncommon for them to be felt in Jakarta.

Indonesia, a country of more than 270 million people, is frequently struck by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis because of its location on the 'Ring of Fire', an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.

In February, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake killed at least 25 people and injured more than 460 in West Sumatra province. In January 2021, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake killed more than 100 people and injured nearly 6,500 in West Sulawesi province.

A powerful Indian Ocean quake and tsunami in 2004 killed nearly 230,000 people in a dozen countries, most of them in Indonesia.?

(With AP inputs)