Indonesian Earthquakes Kill Up to 22
A series of powerful earthquakes measuring up to magnitude 6.8 struck Indonesia’s remote Papua province today, killing up to 22 people, injuring as many as 600 and destroying hundreds of houses, authorities said.
The quakes hit hardest in the town of Nabire, damaging the local airport, a bridge, roads and buildings, said Margiono, a seismologist with the Meteorological and Geophysics Agency in the provincial capital, Jayapura.
Villagers had reported seeing a tidal wave in nearby Cendrawasih Bay, said Margiono, who uses only one name.
That report could not be confirmed.
“This could be bad,” Margiono said.
The quake also struck the towns of Enarotali and Manokwari.
Papua is 2,000 miles northeast of Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital. Formerly known as Irian Jaya, Papua occupies the western half of New Guinea island.
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