A strong earthquake has struck the Indonesian island
of Java, leaving at least 15 people dead and scores injured, witnesses
and local media say.

The quake, measuring 6.2, flattened buildings in a
densely-populated area near the city of Yogyakarta on the southern
coast of the island of Java.

Witnesses said people fled as their homes collapsed around them, after the quake struck early in the morning.

Local radio said several hospitals were packed with people seeking treatment.

Electricity and communications across the city were also down, police said.

‘Massive’ tremor

The quake hit at 0554 local time (2253 GMT Friday),
around 25km (15 miles) south of the city of Yogyakarta, the US
Geological Survey (USGS) said.

   
   

            

            

       

People were running out in panic in their bedclothes                                                           Brook Weisman-Ross, Yogyakarta

   
   

 

Yogyakarta, Indonesia’s ancient royal capital and
one of its biggest cities, is about 440km (275 miles) south-east of the
capital, Jakarta.

"The earthquake was felt to be massive - larger than the
locals here say they’ve felt in their lives," said Brook Weisman-Ross,
regional disaster co-ordinator for Plan International children’s
charity in Java.

"I was shaken from my bed… As furniture was falling,
concrete chunks started falling from my hotel room as people were
running out in panic in their bedclothes," he told the BBC.

He said there was extensive damage across the city and that many of the smaller, older houses had collapsed.

A witness told the Associated Press news agency he had seen three bodies under the rubble of two houses.

Reports of fatalities also came in from elsewhere.

"We have at least five people dead, but it could be
more," Wahab, a nurse at Muhammadiyah hospital, told Reuters news
agency by telephone.

The agency said it had a report of 10 dead at another hospital.

"We have no figure yet, but yes, there are several
people reported killed and hundreds of injured. We are still receiving
reports from the various subdistricts," Subiyakto, an officer with
Yogyakarta province’s police, told the AFP news agency.

Indonesia is in a zone of the Pacific Ocean known as the "ring of fire", which is prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity.

Near Yogyakarta is the volcano Mount Merapi, which
threatened to erupt earlier this month, forcing thousands of people to
be evacuated.

In December 2004, a huge earthquake off Indonesia’s coast killed hundreds of thousands of people by triggering a tsunami.

 

---

Are you in the area affected by the earthquake? What
have you seen? Use the form below to send us your accounts, some of
which may be published.

You can send pictures or video to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or by mms by dialling +44 (0)7725 100100. You should not endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5022558.stm