Powerful Quake Near Sunda Strait Kills Five People

Jakarta. At least five people have died in the magnitude-6.9 earthquake that occurred near the Sunda Strait off Java Island on Friday evening, theNational Disaster Mitigation Agency, or BNPB, said on Saturday.

The agency said the deaths were caused by heart attacks and falls during the evacuation process.  The victims were from Sukabumi in West Java and Lebak and Pandeglang in Banten.

About 1,000 people were still sheltering at the governor's offices in Lampung on Saturday afternoon.

The epicenter of the quake, which occurred at a depth of about 10 kilometers and was felt across Java Island, parts of Sumatra Island and Bali, was about 147 kilometers southwest of Sumur in Banten.

The BNPB said 223 houses in West Java and Banten were damaged.

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) issued a tsunami warning after the quake but lifted it about two-and-a-half hours later. The magnitude of the quake, which was initially estimated at 7.4, was also revised down to 6.9.