Indonesia quake causes panic, injuries

BALI, Indonesia – A powerful earthquake jolted Indonesia’s popular resort island of Bali today, causing widespread panic and injuring at least 50 people, many with broken bones and head wounds.

The walls of some temples along the coast crumbled, and witnesses said roofs of some homes collapsed.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the 6.0-magnitude quake was centered 60 miles southwest of the island.

Although not strong enough to trigger a tsunami, the quake was felt on neighboring Java and Lombok islands, hundreds of miles away.

Candy Juliani, a public relations officer for the Sanur Beach Hotel, said terrified guests fled the building. “We have special emergency routes for this type of situation, but everyone was so scared, they just ignored them,” Juliani said.

At least 50 people were hurt, many with cuts, broken bones and head wounds, said Wayan Sudanti, a hospital spokesman. Three were in critical condition.

Indonesia straddles a series of fault lines that makes the vast island nation prone to volcanic and seismic activity. A giant quake off the country on Dec. 26, 2004, triggered a tsunami in the Indian Ocean that killed 230,000 people.