A powerful earthquake hit Indonesia's eastern province of Papua today, killing at least 23 people in a coastal town and possibly more in other areas.
Many people were injured in the early morning quake, which measured 6.9 on the Richter scale and destroyed several buildings in the town of Nabire.
Power to the town's 26,000 residents had yet to be restored as night fell.
The quake closed Nabire's airport and many buildings were destroyed or set ablaze. Residents fearing aftershocks had set up tents near their homes to sleep in.
62 injured people were treated and sent home, 30 were in a military hospital and about 60 in a local hospital. Officials in Jakarta said as many as 600 people had been injured.
The local hospital itself had been badly damaged.
Damage from outlying areas has not yet been reported.
