Earthquake in Central Java

A powerful earthquake (6.2 magnitude ) rocked Indonesia's Central Java province early Saturday, damaging buildings and killing at least 10 people, state media and witnesses said.
The bodies of at least 10 quake victims were at the city's Bethseda hospital, state news agency Antara reported.

A witness in the city told The Associated Press he had seen three bodies under the rubble of two houses and that scores of injured were being taken to the city's hospitals in pickup trucks. That report couldn't immediately be confirmed with authorities.

Injuries were also reported in the nearby cities of Solo and Bantul.

Police said electricity and communications across Yogyakarta were knocked out.

The quake cracked the runway in Yogyakarta's airport, closing it to aircraft until at least Sunday while inspections take place, Transport Minister Hatta Radjasa said.

"It felt really powerful, and the whole building shook," said Narman, a receptionist at a hotel in the city. "Everyone ran from their rooms."

In the chaos that followed the quake, rumors of an impending tsunami sent thousands of people fleeing to higher ground in cars and motorbikes. The city is around 20 miles from the sea, and more than two hours after the quake no tsunami had occurred.

Shortly before the quake, the nearby Mount Merapi volcano sent out a cloud of hot gas and ash. It was not immediately clear if the volcanic activity and the earthquake were linked.

Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanos and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

A magnitude 6 quake has the potential to cause severe damage.

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