Deadly 6.5 Magnitude Earthquake Ravages Indonesia

A 6.5 magnitude earthquake rocked Indonesia Friday night at 11:47 pm local time. It hit Java, one the country’s most populated islands. The quake took down buildings and homes, and it’s been confirmed that at least one person—a 62-year-old man—has died. Given the earthquake's strength, a tsunami warning was issued for parts of Java’s coastline, but was lifted several hours later.

Spokesman for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency Sutopo Purwo Nugroho says there have been more reports of deaths and injuries from the Ciamis region of western Java, where the one confirmed casualty occurred. Tremors were said to have been felt for 20 seconds in the capital city of Jakarta, as well as in surrounding towns. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake struck 56 miles deep and was located just inland. Indonesian television showed panicked people running out of buildings and heavy traffic as locals attempted to flee coastal areas.

Patients have been evacuated from a central Java hospital that was damaged in the quake. Indonesia is no stranger to these kind of natural disasters, however. The country is located on the “Pacific Ring of Fire,” a horseshoe-shaped region in the basin of the Pacific Ocean that's home to frequent volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. The last major earthquake to hit Java was back in September of 2009. The 7.0 magnitude quake triggered a tsunami and left 79 dead and over 1,200 injured. The country as a whole, however, has seen well over a dozen major earthquakes since then, with magnitudes ranging 6.1 to 8.6.