Earthquake kills three in Indonesia

27 Nov, 2007

A 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck off Indonesia's Sumbawa island Monday, killing three, injuring 55 and damaging hundreds of homes, officials said as repeated aftershocks rattled nerves.
Buildings collapsed in Dompu and Bima districts and officials rushed to reach remote areas as frightened residents gathered outdoors, with some fleeing to higher ground in fear of potential tsunamis.
Health ministry spokesman Rustam Pakaya told AFP that three people had died, including a five-year-old boy, while 55 people had been injured. He did not provide further details on the fatalities. Most of the injured were being treated at the general hospital in Dompu, said a doctor there, Suriyani.
The Indonesian meteorological agency measured the initial quake at 6.7, though the US Geological Survey (USGS) later revised its same initial calculation down to 6.4.
The earthquake, which hit at 12:02 am (1602 GMT), occurred 44 kilometres (27 miles) west of Raba and 349 kilometres east of Denpasar, Bali, at a depth of 30 kilometres, the USGS said.

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