Seven killed after quake rocks Indonesia's Java island

JAKARTA (AFP) — At least seven persons were killed after a 6.0 magnitude quake struck off the coast of Indonesia's main Java island Saturday, as the country reels from a cyclone disaster in another part of the archipelago.

The afternoon quake hit offshore about 45 kilometres southwest of

Malang city in East Java, damaging hundreds of homes as well as schools, government offices and mosques across the region.

"Our latest data shows that seven people died, two are seriously injured and 10 others sustained minor injuries," said National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Raditya Jati.

Several communities had been evacuated, he added.

The quake struck at a relatively deep 82 kilometres (50 miles) – shallower quakes tend to do more damage than deep ones.

Images from the scene showed a ceiling caved in at a hospital ward and debris strewn across the floor of the local parliament in Blitar, a city southwest of Malang.

"I had just finished praying and was changing my clothes when suddenly the quake struck," Malang resident Ida Magfiroh told AFP.

"It was pretty strong and went for a long time. Everything was swaying... My heart was racing."