PANIC struck several Malaysian journalists in Jakarta on a media trip as tremors were felt following a strong quake that hit Indonesia’s Banten province in Java, 120km away.

The journalists were at a media briefing given by Indonesia’s ambassador to Malaysia Rusdi Kirana Banten on the 8th floor of Menara Lion when the 7.4-magnitude earthquake rocked Banten at 7.03pm, Bernama reported.

According to Bernama managing editor Nasir Yusoff, who was among the visiting journalists, the building began to sway for one minute.

In the panic, the journalists and the ambassador took the staircase down from the 8th floor and exited the building.

No one was hurt in the incident, Nasir said.

Meanwhile, Indonesia’s disaster agency warned that the powerful earthquake may also spark 3m-high tsunamis.

“There are some areas at risk of a serious threat of a tsunami that could be as high as 3m,” said agency official Rahmat Triyono.

“We’re still waiting for reports about damage” from the quake, he added.

Meanwhile, Malaysia’s Meteorological Department said there was no tsunami threat to Malaysia.

The United States Geological Survey earlier put the magnitude of the quake at 6.8, before raising it to 6.9.

Residents in Jakarta fled their homes as buildings in the megacity swayed from the force of the quake.

“The chandelier in my apartment was shaking and I just ran from the 19th floor,” 50-year-old Elisa told AFP. 

“Everybody else ran too. It was a really strong jolt and I was very scared.”

At least two people were killed and thousands were forced from their homes after a major 7.3-magnitude earthquake hit the remote Maluku islands in eastern Indonesia this month.

Indonesia experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, where tectonic plates collide.

Last year, a 7.5-magnitude quake and a subsequent tsunami in Palu on Sulawesi island killed more than 2,200 people, with another thousand declared missing.

On December 26, 2004, a devastating 9.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Sumatra and triggered a tsunami that killed 220,000 across the Indian Ocean region, including around 170,000 in Indonesia. – AFP, August 2, 2019.

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