Thousands flee Java quake

HUNDREDS of buildings, including houses, places of worships and community health centres, were damaged in a 6.6 magnitude earthquake that struck the western parts of Java Island.

The earthquake’s epicentre on Friday was in the Indian Ocean, near the Ujung Kulon National Park in Banten, at a depth of 40km and struck at 4.05pm local time, according to the Meteorological Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).