Powerful earthquake hits Indonesia, leaving damages

Jakarta, July 1 A 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck off Indonesia's western province of Yogyakarta, causing damages to houses and buildings, the weather agency and an official said.

The agency had earlier released the quake at 6.4-magnitude before revising it, said Dwikorita Karnawati, head of the country's meteorology, climatology and geophysics agency on Friday.

The earthquake did not trigger giant waves, according to the agency.

The earthquake happened at 19:57 p.m. Jakarta time (1257 GMT) with its epicentre located at 86 km northwest of Bantul district and a depth of 25 km under the seabed, the agency added.

The tremors of the quake were also felt in the nearby provinces of Central Java and East Java, it said.

More than five aftershocks followed the main shock, said Dwikorita, recommending people to avoid entering their houses should their wall be cracked by the tremors, Xinhua news agency reported.

The tremors of the earthquake damaged houses and a hospital in Yogyakarta province, said Indro Sambodo, a senior member of the quick response unit of the provincial disaster management and mitigation agency.

"The roofs of the houses in Bantul district were damaged. The roofs fell down. Besides, parts of the walls of a hospital also got minor damages. Some houses situated along the coast also suffered minor damages," he told Xinhua from Yogyakarta province.

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