Strong Quake Hits Indonesia

JAKARTA, Indonesia — A powerful earthquake struck the southern coast of Java on Wednesday afternoon, rocking buildings 120 miles away in the capital, Jakarta.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center of the National Weather Service said the 7.1 magnitude quake struck Java, Indonesia’s main island, at 2:55 p.m. local time. The center’s initial report, at 3:06, triggered a tsunami watch, although that was canceled 15 minutes later.

“No tsunami threat exists to coastlines in the Pacific,” the center’s official bulletin said. “However, earthquakes of this size sometimes generate local tsunamis that can be destructive along coasts located within a few hundred kilometers of the earthquake’s epicenter.”

There were no immediate reports of serious injuries or deaths, but a Web news portal reported that buildings had been damaged in Tasikmalaya, the town nearest the epicenter.

No tsunami watches, warnings or advisories were in effect by late afternoon, although the center urged local authorities to be aware of possible local surges and take appropriate precautions.

The national earthquake agency put the depth of the quake at 66 kilometers, or 41 miles.

The largest recorded earthquake to hit Indonesia was December 26, 2004. The 9.1 magnitude quake off the western coast of northern Sumatra created tsunamis that rolled through the Indian Ocean and killed 227,898 people, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Since then, Indonesia has been hit by 29 quakes of 6.3 magnitude or higher.

Norimitsu Onishi reported from Jakarta, Indonesia, and Mark McDonald from Hong Kong.