Indonesian officials say a powerful earthquake off the coast of the
country's main island has killed at least 44 people and injured more
than 300 others.
The 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Wednesday in waters off Java
island, about 200 kilometers southeast of the capital, Jakarta.
It damaged hundreds of homes in the densely populated region, and
forced the evacuation of thousands of people from areas close to the
epicenter.
The quake set off a landslide in a village in the Cianjur district, burying dozens of people, wrecking houses and a mosque.
In Cirebon, on Java island, hundreds of people reacted to the quake by
running into the streets in panic from stores and office buildings.
The U.S. Geological Survey says the underwater quake struck at a depth of about 50 kilometers.
In 2004, more than 200,000 people were killed when an undersea
earthquake triggered a tsunami that struck several nations along the
Indian Ocean. More than half of the fatalities occurred in Indonesia's
Aceh province.