The earthquake in Indonesia killed at least 46 people

JAKARTA - At least 46 people were killed and thousands of houses destroyed in the powerful earthquake, volume seven degrees on the Richter scale, which yesterday hit southeast Indonesian island of Java.

Officials tell the 42 people still missing in landslides initiated after the earthquake in the area about 100 kilometers south of the capital Jakarta.

The spokesman of the National Agency for crisis response Prijadi Kardon told Reuters that the fears that the death toll to be much higher, given the large number urušenih houses and other buildings.

He said 18,000 houses, office buildings, mosques and other buildings were damaged in the earthquake.

Kardon said that communication with the coastal areas, which are believed to be most affected, in full cease-and because the authorities do not have complete information on the number of victims.

Zemoljtres, whose strength was originally estimated at 7.4 degrees Richter, struck yesterday morning, Java, and warning of the danger of tsunami, which was issued, withdrawn a half hour later, after the region was not observed any major wave.

Epicenter was in West Java province, 195 kilometers southeast of Jakarta, at a depth of 49.5 kilometers, said the American Geological Institute.

Earthquake felt in Surabaya, the second largest city in Indonesia, 500 kilometers away from Tasikmalaje in West Java and the island of Bali, about 700 kilometers east.

Indonežanskih 17,000 islands is dispersed along the so-called. "fire belt" Pacific, known SEIZMIČKOJ and volcanic activity.

Catastrophic earthquake, intensity 9.1 Richter struck in December 2004. in Indonesia and caused a tsunami, which was only in the western province of Ace, killing 177,000 people.