By — Joshua Barajas Joshua Barajas Leave a comment 0comments Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/strong-earthquake-strikes-java-island-in-indonesia-deaths-reported Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Strong earthquake strikes Java island in Indonesia. Deaths reported World Dec 15, 2017 2:15 PM EDT An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.5 struck Java, the most populous Indonesian island, minutes before midnight Friday, according to preliminary data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Indonesian authorities have said the earthquake has killed an unconfirmed number of people on the island, which is where the capital Jakarta is located. Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, told the Associated Press that there were also reports of collapsed buildings in several parts of western Java. The earthquake was detected about 91 kilometers, or 56 miles, deep, according to USGS data. Indonesia rests on the volcanic and earthquake-prone “Ring of Fire” in the Pacific Ocean. A tsunami warning was also issued for portions of the island’s coastline. The Indian Ocean earthquake that struck off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, in 2004, had a magnitude of at least 9.1 and a resulting tsunami that killed about 280,000 people. PBS NewsHour will update this story as it develops. We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now By — Joshua Barajas Joshua Barajas Joshua Barajas is a senior editor for the PBS NewsHour's Communities Initiative. He's also the senior editor and manager of newsletters. @Josh_Barrage
An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.5 struck Java, the most populous Indonesian island, minutes before midnight Friday, according to preliminary data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Indonesian authorities have said the earthquake has killed an unconfirmed number of people on the island, which is where the capital Jakarta is located. Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, told the Associated Press that there were also reports of collapsed buildings in several parts of western Java. The earthquake was detected about 91 kilometers, or 56 miles, deep, according to USGS data. Indonesia rests on the volcanic and earthquake-prone “Ring of Fire” in the Pacific Ocean. A tsunami warning was also issued for portions of the island’s coastline. The Indian Ocean earthquake that struck off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, in 2004, had a magnitude of at least 9.1 and a resulting tsunami that killed about 280,000 people. PBS NewsHour will update this story as it develops. We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now