Thu, September 03, 2009
CIAMIS, Indonesia, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- "I was very sad at the time. I thought the judgment day had come," said Eman Herman, a 63-year-old villager in Indonesia's West Java, when recounting the horrible experience in a powerful earthquake on Thursday.
The quake, measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale, rocked West Javaon Wednesday, causing panic and deep sorrow among the people in the stricken areas.
Like the Nurul Hidayah mosque caretaker in Cijulang village of Ciamis regency, local people thought the doomsday had arrived because it was the first time that an earthquake had occurred in their lives.
On Wednesday afternoon, the tremor lasted at least two minutes, villagers said.
"I couldn't stand up firmly when the quake happened," said Eman.
"It was weird. I saw roads like sea waves," recalled Eman.
He then saw roofs falling and electric cables snapping.
After the earthquake receded, Eman went back to his house and found his wife crying.
Luckily, their house is still in one piece, only some cracks in the wall. However, he saw some of his neighbors' houses in ruins.
"The power was cut for several hours. At 10 p.m. the electricity was back to normal," he said.
Local people in the disaster-hit areas stay outside and sleep in emergency tents they made themselves.
Tono Kartono, a resident in Sukasetia village, said people were afraid to sleep inside their houses, fearing aftershocks may come.
"Look, they are sleeping on a rice field," said Tono, pointing to an emergency tent made by a local family.
According to Daud, head of village assembly in Sukasetia village, a man was killed and 10 houses destroyed in the disaster.
