One person was killed on Friday when a strong earthquake struck Indonesia’s island of Java, said the US Geological Survey. Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for the national disaster management agency, said at least one person had been killed, several homes damaged and a hospital evacuated. He posted photos of people scouring collapsed buildings. There have been unconfirmed reports of more casualties. He also said there were reports that buildings had collapsed in the city of Tasikmalaya in western Java and in several western Java districts. "Houses and other buildings are damaged in many areas," he said in a statement. People ran out of buildings in panic in many areas and Indonesian television showed heavy traffic on roads as people left coastal areas. The USGS said the epicenter of the 6.5 magnitude quake was located at a depth of 92 km (57 miles), about 52 km southwest of Tasikmalaya. The disaster agency said the quake activated early tsunami warning systems in the south of Java, but the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said no tsunami had been detected. Tremors were felt in central and west Java and caused minor damage to some buildings. The quake swayed buildings for several seconds in the capital Jakarta. Java, Indonesia’s most densely populated island, is home to more than half of its 250 million people.
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