Indonesia: Four killed, buildings damaged after quake in Papua; Karangetang volcano erupts, lava cascading down six rivers

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JAKARTA, Feb 10 (Xinhua): Four people were killed and three others were injured after a 5.2-magnitude earthquake destroyed several office buildings, houses, a hospital and other buildings in Indonesia's eastern province of Papua on Thursday night, officials and the weather agency said.

The country's meteorology, climatology and geophysics agency had first reported the quake with a magnitude of 5.4 before revising it.

A cafeteria located at the seaside was destroyed by the tremors, killing four people and injuring three others, said Yudi Yanto, spokesman of the search and rescue office in Jayapura city, the capital of the province.

"So far there are no reports of missing persons after the quake, but we are still on alert. If there are reports of missing persons, we will resume a search and rescue mission," he said.

Abdul Muhari, spokesman of the national disaster management and mitigation agency, said that several houses, a hospital, a mosque, shop buildings and other buildings were destroyed by the tremors.

Head of Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency Dwikorita Karnawati said that more than 1,079 earthquakes have occurred in the province with the epicenter located around the provincial capital of Jayapura since January, saying that Thursday's 5.2 magnitude quake is the biggest one.

Meanwhile, the Karangetang volcano on Siau Island off the coast of Indonesia's North Sulawesi has been erupting, with lava cascading down six rivers, the Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center (PVMBG) said on Thursday.

The six rivers, the Batang, Timbelang, Beha Barat, Nanitu, Batuawang and Kahetang, share the origin from the 1,784-meter-high mountain.

"The slope of the mountain is quite steep, so piles of material descend quickly," said volcano coordinator of PVMBG Oktory Prambada in a virtual press conference.

The PVMBG has increased the mountain's risk classification from the second to the third. - Xinhua