EARTHQUAKE IN YOGYAKARTA (JAVA) KILLS 6,200 (MAY 27th, 2006)

Source: The Jakarta Post

On Saturday morning, the 27th of May 2006, just before 6 o'clock (local time) a quake struck the the region Yogyakarta, located in Central Java, in a highly populated area of the island.

More than a thousand aftershocks have hit the region since the 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck , killing at least 6,234 people and injuring 30,000 more. Officials estimate that 135,000 homes were destroyed.

The quake's epicenter was 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of Merapi, and activity increased soon after the temblor. A large burst spewed hot clouds and sent debris cascading some 3.5 kilometers (two miles) down its western flank.

The disaster zone stretched across hundreds of square kilometers of mostly farming communities. The worst devastation was in the town of Bantul, where more than 3,000 people were killed and 80 percent of the homes were flattened.

Damaged temple in Prambanan, near Yogyakarta

Houses totally destroyed in Bantul