5.6 magnitude earthquake shakes Java island in Indonesia

Shana Donahue

November 21, 05:46 AM November 21, 05:46 AM

At least 46 people were killed Monday when an earthquake shook Indonesia’s main island of Java.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude 5.6 earthquake was centered in the Cianjur region of Java.

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The earthquake damaged buildings and sent residents running into the streets seeking safety.

“There are 46 dead people at the Cianjur regional hospital and around 700 injured people. Many were hurt because they were hit by collapsed buildings,” National Disaster Mitigation Agency chief Suharyanto told the .

Video posted to Twitter shows several damaged buildings.

“The quake felt so strong. My colleagues and I decided to get out of our office on the ninth floor using the emergency stairs,” Vidi Primadhania, an employee in South Jakarta, told the .

Earthquakes are not uncommon in the island nation, which is located in what is known as the “Ring of Fire,” an area of volcanos and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.

In February, 25 people were killed and more than 460 injured in a magnitude 6.2 earthquake in West Sumatra province. Another 6.2 magnitude earthquake killed more than 100 people and injured nearly 6,500 in West Sulawesi province in January 2021.