A powerful earthquake
rocked western Java

on Wednesday, killing
at least 32 people and
causing thousands to
panic across the most populous island in the country.

But the death toll could be much higher as >>>>>>

communication with some affected coastal areas have been cut.

More than 1,300 homes were damaged, according to government agencies.

Most fatalities were caused by falling debris, officials said.

A tsunami warning was issued after the 7.3-magnitude quake struck at 2:55 p.m., but was revoked an hour later.

"A one-meter-high tidal wave did hit the Pameungpeuk coast in Garut regency but the warning has now been lifted," head of the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMG), Sri Woro Harijono, said in Jakarta.

A tsunami early warning system at Pelabuhanratu, Sukabumi,

sounded an alarm for about 10 seconds but it then stopped, he

said, as quoted by Antara news agency.

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The Social Affairs Ministry reported that more than 700 houses and buildings were badly damaged.

Head of the Health Ministry's disaster control center, Rustam S. Pakaya, reported deaths in Tasikmalaya, Cianjur, Banjar and Garut — all in West Java. At least 112 people — 83 in West Java and 29 in Jakarta — were wounded, he added.

Antara reported that 12 families, or about 30 people, were trapped in houses buried by a landslide in Rawa Hideung village, Cianjur regency.

Six bodies had been recovered but the fate of many others remained unknown, a resident, Agus Sobandi, was quoted as saying.

Surono, head of the volcanology and geological disaster mitigation department of the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, said the quake's epicenter was around 30 kilometers under the sea and located 142 kilometers southwest of Tasikmalaya.

"If the quake was felt from Jakarta to Yogyakarta, the epicentre must have been quite deep,"
he added.

Residents in Bali and Serang, Banten, quoted by Antara said that they felt tremors from the quake.

"The pasar [market] at Cipari village in Sidareja district [in Cilacap, Central Java] collapsed, and many buildings were seriously damaged," local resident Haryadi said.

In Bandung, West Java, tremors caused severe panic among residents. At least 19 people
fainted as many others cried hys-terically.

In Cirebon, also in West Java, panicked residents in shopping centers and offices ran into the streets.
"Power was immediately cut off at the time of the quake," said Supriyatna, who lives in the Mundu district.

An official from state electricity firm PT PLN said that its Salak geothermal power plant in West Java briefly stopped when the quake hit.

Earlier Wednesday, a 5.2-magnitude earthquake hit Mentawai, West Sumatra, causing panic. The tremor was felt strongly in Bukittinggi, Padang Panjang, Padang Pa-riaman and the provincial capital of Padang.

Indonesia, a vast archipelago, straddles continental plates and is prone to seismic activity along what is known as the Pacific Ring of Fire.

A huge quake off Aceh caused a powerful tsunami in December 2004 that killed around 230,000 people in a dozen countries.