Asia-Pacific News
Strong quake off Indonesia injures 38, damages buildings (1st Lead)
Nov 9, 2009, 1:16 GMT
Jakarta - At least 38 people were injured and several buildings damaged when when a powerful earthquake struck Monday off Indonesia's Sumbawa island, an official said.
There were unconfirmed reports that two people were killed in Bima district of West Nusa Tenggara province following the magnitude 6.7 earthquake, said Rustam Pakaya, head of the Health Ministry's crisis centre.
'In addition to the injuries, there was some slight damage in buildings and public facilities in Bima district,' he said, noting that a bridge collapsed there.
The quake, which struck at 2:41 am Monday (1941 GMT Sunday), was also felt strongly in the nearby tourist island of Lombok, Pakaya said.
The quake's epicentre was in the eastern part of the Sumbawa island, which lies about 1,300 kilometres east of Jakarta, the United States Geological Survey said.
Indonesia sits on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, an area known for intense seismic and volcanic activity.
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