Tremors jolt Aceh, Yogyakarta

Tremors jolt Aceh, Yogyakarta
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sun, 08/22/2010 1:43 PM | Headlines

Earthquakes hit Aceh and Yogyakarta provinces on Saturday, but no injuries or damage were reported.

A 5.8-magnitude quake hit Simeuleu regency in Aceh at 12:42 a.m. local time, followed seven hours later by a 5.0-magnitude tremor on Java Island that shook Yogyakarta.

Vina, an official from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), said the quake in Aceh was centered 44 kilometers southeast of Sinabang, the regency’s capital, at a depth of 37 kilometers.

“I was in contact with local officials at Aceh Singkil. There were no reports by people there or in Meulaboh [West Aceh] feeling the tremor. Those regencies are close to Simeuleu,” Vina was quoted as saying by Antara news agency.

Ramad, a resident in Sinabang, said that while residents did not panic when the quake hit, they felt anxious so waited outside their homes.

“If we had felt a stronger tremor, we would have sought higher ground as during the [quake-triggered] tsunami five years ago,” he said.

The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami killed hundreds of thousands of people in Aceh as well as in several other countries in the region.

Meanwhile, the Yogyakarta quake’s epicenter was located 15 kilometers southeast of Bantul at a depth of 10 kilometers. The Yogyakarta branch of the BMKG said there was no risk of the creating a tsunami.

Residents in Gunung Kidul, Bantul, and Yogyakarta said they felt strong tremors that lasted a few seconds.

“I can still feel it. I remember 2006. Hopefully, nothing like that happens,” Yuni, a resident, said via text message. The 2006 quake in Yogyakarta killed more than 1,000 people.