W. Sumatra quake kills at least 5, injures 7

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, February 17, 2004

W. Sumatra quake kills at least 5, injures 7

An earthquake measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale killed at least five people and seriously injured seven others in Indonesia's West Sumatra Province on Monday night.

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An earthquake measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale killed at least five people and seriously injured seven others in Indonesia's West Sumatra Province on Monday night.

The quake, hitting the province's Mt. Tandikek area in the Padangpanjang Mayoralty at 9:44 p.m., had its epicenter 40 kilometers north of the provincial capital Padang -- which is 1,000 km northwest of Jakarta -- according to Soemarso at the Padangpanjang Meteorological and Geophysics Agency.

More than 100 houses were damaged by the temblor, he said.

Soemarso said that more than 20 aftershocks have occurred since then, but their intensity has measured less than 3.

Earlier reports said Tuesday there was considerable panic among residents of the area.

The quake is the third in Indonesia in recent weeks.

Indonesia is prone to earthquakes as it is located in the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, which is one of the world's most geologically unstable zones.

Source: Agencies

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