Shallow Indonesia quake kills 3, damages hundreds of homes

Jakarta: A shallow earthquake in central Indonesia has killed three people and damaged more than 300 homes, disaster officials said on Thursday as they declared a two-week emergency for the affected areas. Indonesia's Meteorology and Geophysics Agency said the magnitude-4.4 quake that occurred on Wednesday at a depth of 4 kilometers (2.4 miles) was centered about 52 kilometers north of Kebumen, a densely populated district of Central Java province. Central Java's Disaster Management Agency head Sarwo Pramana said the quake which was felt in many parts of the province killed two elderly people and a 13-year-old boy who were crushed by collapsing buildings. He said 21 people were hospitalized with injuries and more than 2,100 people have been evacuated to temporary shelters.