8 deaths reported in 6.0 Indonesia quake

MALANG, Indonesia — A strong earthquake killed at least eight people, injured 23 and damaged more than 300 buildings on Indonesia’s main island of Java and also was felt on the tourist hot spot of Bali, officials said Saturday. No tsunami warnings were posted.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude 6.0 quake struck off the island’s southern coast at 2 p.m. local time. It was centered 28 miles south of Sumberpucung town of Malang District in East Java province, at a depth of 51 miles.

Rahmat Triyono, the head of Indonesia’s earthquake and tsunami center, said the tremblor did not have the potential to cause a tsunami. Still, he urged people to stay away from slopes of soil or rocks that have the potential for landslides.

It was the second deadly disaster to hit Indonesia last week, after Tropical Cyclone Seroja caused a severe downpour last Sunday that killed at least 174 people and left 48 still missing. Some victims were buried in either mudslides or solidified lava from a volcanic eruption in November, while others were swept away by flash flooding. Thousands of homes were damaged.

Saturday’s quake caused falling rocks to kill a woman on a motorcycle and badly injured her husband in East Java’s Lumajang district, said Raditya Jati, spokesperson for the national disaster agency.

He said dozens of homes were damaged across the district, and rescuers recovered two bodies from under the rubble in Kali Uling village. Two people were confirmed killed in an area bordering Lumajang and Malang districts, while one person was found dead under rubble in Malang.