Jakarta: A shallow earthquake shook Indonesia’s easternmost province of Papua on Thursday, killing four people who were unable to escape when a floating restaurant collapsed into the sea.
The US Geological Survey said the magnitude 5.1 earthquake hit residential areas in Jayapura, near Papua’s northern coast and was centred at a depth of 22 kilometres (13 miles). Shallow quakes often cause more damage on the Earth’s surface.
“The residents were really panicked. I was in a car, and I felt like the car’s wheels were lifted up,” said Tri Asih, a resident of Jayapura, Papua’s capital. Officials said four people who were inside a floating restaurant died when the quake caused it to collapse into the sea. “The bodies of the four victims have been recovered,” National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari said at a news conference. “The victims were trapped under the rubble of the cafe and covered by the roof.”
Rescue divers were searching the area around the cafeteria for possible
survivors.