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Ten died in homes when landslide slammed into neighborhood. Dozens reported missing and injured.
JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesians ran screaming out of buildings when a major earthquake rocked the country Wednesday, killing more than 30 people and unleashing a mass of rock and mud that buried villagers alive in their homes.
The magnitude-7.0 temblor lasted nearly a minute and was felt hundreds of miles away. Many of the victims were in buildings that buckled during the jolt, and at least 10 died in their houses when a landslide slammed into their neighborhood. Dozens were reported missing and injured.
Thousands of panicked residents fled homes, malls and government offices throughout the country, some screaming in fright, when the shaking began in the middle of the work day.
More than 700 structures collapsed in towns and villages in hardest-hit West Java, said Social Affairs Ministry official Mardi, who like many Indonesians uses one name.
The Disaster Management Agency said at least 33 people died. With several dozen reported missing, officials said they feared the death toll would rise.
“The earthquake was shaking everything in my house very strongly for almost a minute,” Heni Maryani, a resident in the town of Sukabumi told el Shinta radio. “I grabbed my children and ran out. I saw people were in panic. Women were screaming, and children were crying.”
Hospitals quickly filled with scores of injured people after the quake struck just off the southern coast of Java, where most of Indonesia’s 235 million people live.
A tsunami warning was issued after the quake struck at 2:55 p.m. but revoked an hour later. Several dozen aftershocks were measured by geological agencies.
“My house collapsed,” said Fifi, a resident of Pameungpek village.