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Hundreds of buildings collapse after strong quake in Indonesia

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-08-07 11:39

JAKARTA -- Hundreds of houses collapsed after a strong quake with the magnitude of 6.6 rocked West Nusa Tenggara province in eastern parts of Indonesia on Thursday, meteorology and disaster management agencies said here.

The quake was not potential for tsunami, an official of the meteorology agency named only Subagio told Xinhua.

The shakes of the quake were felt up to Bali Island in central part of the country with an intensity of 3 MMI (modified mercalli intensity), said Subagio.

In Dompu regency and Mataram city of the province, the quake was felt at 3 to 4 MMI, he said.

The quake occurred at 05:41 Jakarta time (2205 GMT) Wednesday with the epicenter at 51 kilometers northeast Sumbawa of the province and at 10 kilometers under sea bed, said Subagio.

The quake seriously damaged over 124 houses, with 117 others suffering minor damage in Pukat district of Dompu regency in the province, but no initial report of casualties, an official of the Disaster Management Agency Rini Ambarwati told Xinhua.

"It is just an initial report. We keep waiting and monitoring for the more information of the damage and the victims of the disaster," she told Xinhua.

Indonesia sits at a vulnerable zone so called "the Pacific Ring of Fire" where two continental plates meet, stretching from the Western Hemisphere through Japan and Southeast Asia, causing frequent volcanic movements.