DUSHANBE, January 4, 2009, Asia-Plus — Quite a strong earthquake measuring 5.5 on a 12-point scale jolted Dushanbe today early in the morning at around 1:23 am, according to the Dushanbe seismological station. No damage or injured was reported.
The tremor epicenter was in the territory of Afghanistan, 275 kilometers southeast of Dushanbe, according to the seismological station. In the epicenter, the quake’s magnitude was 7.0 on the Richter scale. The earthquake could be felt in other regions of Tajikistan as well. Thus, in the city of Norak, the tremor’s magnitude was 4.0-4.5 on the 12-point scale.
In the meantime, BBC News reported that an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 has rocked eastern Indonesia. The tremor struck south-west of Manokwari, West Papua province, at 0443 on Sunday (1943 GMT), according to the US Geological Survey. The AFP news agency reported that a 10-year old girl was killed and dozens of people were injured after the tremors. An official with the aid organization World Vision said ten buildings had been totally destroyed, including several hotels and the house of a government official. The official also said dozens of people were being treated for serious injuries.
