Tsunami early warning system fails during W Java quake

Antara, Wednesday, September 2, 2009 19:06 WIB

Palabuhanratu, Sukabumi (ANTARA News) - A tsunami early warning system or TEWS installed at Palabuhanratu Beach, Sukabumi district, West Java, did not work well when a powerful earthquake rocked the area at 02:55 pm on Wednesday.

7.3 shock: An earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale jolted the southern part of West Java at 2:55 p.m. on Wednesday. The tremor was felt as far as Jakarta and Yogyakarta in Central Java. (The Jakarrta Post)

ANTARA News learned at the beach on the occasion that the TEWS sounded for 10 seconds but then stopped.

At the same time, electricity in the area was also down.

A powerful earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale shook southwest Tasikmalaya, West Java, on Wednesday at 02.55 pm Western Indonesia Standard Time (WIB), causing people as far as in Jakarta to be panic-stricken.

The quake`s epicenter was located at 8.24 degrees southern latitude, and 107.32 degrees eastern longitude, according to information from the meteorological, climatology, and geophysics (BMKG) office.

Meanwhile, head of the Palabuhanratu Fishery Port (PPNP), Arief Rahman said the quake did not have the potential to trigger a tsunami at the Pelabuhanratu because the region was blocked by the Ujung Genteng Beach.

"But if another aftershock happens, people are suggested to immediately take the evacuation route," Rahman said.

Information obtained from the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency, said the quake`s epicenter was at 142 kilometers southwest of Tasikmalaya, West Java at a depth of 30 kilometers beneath the sea level.

The quake that lasted about one minute was also felt in Jakarta and some areas of West Java.

However, about 200 fishermen who were at sea were not disturbed and continued their activity.

There were no immediate reports of casualties and damage caused by the earthquake.

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