Magnitude 6.8 earthquake strikes off coast of Indonesian Island, tsunami warning issued

A strong earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia’s Java island on Friday, swaying buildings as far away as the capital and prompting national authorities to urge those in coastal areas to head to higher ground in case of a tsunami.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported the magnitude 6.8 quake was centred 151 kilometres (94 miles) from Banten province off the island’s southwest coast. It said it hit at a depth of 42.8 kilometres (26.5 miles).

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not issue a tsunami warning, watch or advisory after the quake. Indonesian authorities, however, issued their own.

Dwikorita Karnawati, the head of Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency, said the local tsunami alert will remain in place. She called on people living in coastal areas to move to higher ground but she also urged people not to panic.

Buildings in Jakarta swayed for nearly a minute during the evening quake. There appeared to be no major damage or casualties, but strong tremors were felt in Jakarta, the capital, prompting people to run out of office buildings.

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“It was so scary,” said Gustiani Pratiwi, carrying two children out of an apartment block in Jakarta after feeling the quake strongly.

Radio and television reports said people felt a strong quake in Banten province and in Lampung province along the southern part of Sumatra island. The temblor caused a panic among residents in several cities and villages, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

WATCH: Eastern Indonesia hit by earthquake (July 14)

0:39 Eastern Indonesia hit by earthquake

Indonesia‘s geophysics agency said on Friday it would keep monitoring for the risk of a potential tsunami until at least 21:35 pm (1435 GMT) after a powerful earthquake struck off the islands of Sumatra and Java.

Karnawati said residents of coastal areas at risk should continue to stay alert following the tsunami warning.

“Please look for higher ground at least 10 meters (33 feet) high, stay calm and keep monitoring information from the geophysics agency,” Karnawati told a news conference.

Last year, a tsunami hit the city of Palu in Sulawesi island, killing thousands, while a crater collapse at the Anak Krakatau volcano triggered a tsunami that killed at least 430 people in an area near the latest quake.

The most devastating in recent Indonesian history was on Dec. 26 in 2004, when a magnitude 9.5 quake triggered a massive tsunami that killed around 226,000 people along the shorelines of the Indian Ocean, including more than 126,000 in Indonesia.

— With a file from Reuters.

More to come.