At least eight people are dead and hundreds of buildings damaged as powerful 5.9 magnitude earthquake rocks Indonesia's southern Java island

  • At least eight people were killed and three more seriously injured in a magnitude-5.9 quake that struck off Indonesia's Java island on Saturday
  • More than 1,180 buildings were damaged and some homes were completely flattened, disaster agency BNPB said
  • President Joko Widodo said emergency response teams had been sent to East Java to search for survivors 

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At least eight people have been killed in an earthquake that hit off Indonesia's southern Java island on Saturday.

Three others were badly injured by the magnitude-5.9 quake and more than 1,180 buildings were damaged, the disaster agency BNPB said. 

While most of the damage was only slight, some houses were completely flattened.

At least eight people have been killed in an earthquake that hit off Indonesia's southern Java island on Saturday, just a week after tropical cyclone Seroja triggered landslides and flash floods, killing more than 170 people on the islands in East Nusa Tenggara province

At least eight people have been killed in an earthquake that hit off Indonesia's southern Java island on Saturday, just a week after tropical cyclone Seroja triggered landslides and flash floods, killing more than 170 people on the islands in East Nusa Tenggara province

Three others were badly injured by the magnitude-5.9 quake and more than 1,180 buildings were damaged, the disaster agency BNPB said

Three others were badly injured by the magnitude-5.9 quake and more than 1,180 buildings were damaged, the disaster agency BNPB said

While most of the damage was only slight, some houses were completely flattened. Pictured: Indonesian soldiers check damaged structures in Malang, East Java

While most of the damage was only slight, some houses were completely flattened. Pictured: Indonesian soldiers check damaged structures in Malang, East Java

Two shelters for the displaced have been set up in the town of Lumajang.

All of the casualties were reported in 15 districts and cities in East Java, the closest province to the epicentre of the quake, which struck in the Indian Ocean.

'I have ordered ... immediate emergency response to search and find victims under the rubble and to treat the wounded,' Indonesia's President Joko Widodo, known by his popular name, Jokowi, said in broadcast remarks. 

Two shelters for the displaced have been set up in the town of Lumajang. Pictured: Residents take a rest at a temporary shelter on Sunday

Two shelters for the displaced have been set up in the town of Lumajang. Pictured: Residents take a rest at a temporary shelter on Sunday

All of the casualties were reported in 15 districts and cities in East Java, the closest province to the epicentre of the quake, which struck in the Indian Ocean. Pictured: People sleep outside their homes in Malang following the earthquake

All of the casualties were reported in 15 districts and cities in East Java, the closest province to the epicentre of the quake, which struck in the Indian Ocean. Pictured: People sleep outside their homes in Malang following the earthquake

There were no reports of the quake disrupting production facilities, but the BNPB said 150 public facilities were damaged. Pictured: Malang residents retrieve their belongings following the earthquake

There were no reports of the quake disrupting production facilities, but the BNPB said 150 public facilities were damaged. Pictured: Malang residents retrieve their belongings following the earthquake

There were no reports of the quake disrupting production facilities, but the BNPB said 150 public facilities were damaged. 

Most industrial areas in East Java are located in the northern side of the island. 

Jokowi noted that as Indonesia straddles the volcanic 'Ring of Fire' in the Pacific, natural disasters such as earthquakes could happen anytime, adding that Indonesians should always be prepared.

President Joko Widodo, known by his popular name, Jokowi, said search and rescue teams has been sent to search for people under the rubble. Pictured: A local journalist films the damage to a class room at a school in Malang

President Joko Widodo, known by his popular name, Jokowi, said search and rescue teams has been sent to search for people under the rubble. Pictured: A local journalist films the damage to a class room at a school in Malang

Jokowi noted that as Indonesia straddles the volcanic 'Ring of Fire' in the Pacific, natural disasters such as earthquakes could happen anytime, adding that Indonesians should always be prepared. Pictured: A school in Malang is covered with roof tiles and other debris following the earthquake

Jokowi noted that as Indonesia straddles the volcanic 'Ring of Fire' in the Pacific, natural disasters such as earthquakes could happen anytime, adding that Indonesians should always be prepared. Pictured: A school in Malang is covered with roof tiles and other debris following the earthquake

Indonesia was struck last week by tropical cyclone Seroja, which triggered landslides and flash floods. Pictured: A man cleans up a courtroom in Blitar, East Java, after an earthquake

Indonesia was struck last week by tropical cyclone Seroja, which triggered landslides and flash floods. Pictured: A man cleans up a courtroom in Blitar, East Java, after an earthquake

The Southeast Asian nation was struck last week by tropical cyclone Seroja, which triggered landslides and flash floods.

It killed more than 170 people on the islands in East Nusa Tenggara province.

A magnitude-6.2 quake that hit Sulawesi island in January killed more than 100 people. 

Pictured: An Indonesian soldier checks a damaged house in Malang, East Java on Sunday following a earthquake the day before

Pictured: An Indonesian soldier checks a damaged house in Malang, East Java on Sunday following a earthquake the day before

Indonesia soldiers and residents check damaged houses for survivors following an earthquake on Sunday which killed eight people

Indonesia soldiers and residents check damaged houses for survivors following an earthquake on Sunday which killed eight people

More than 1,000 buildings were damaged by the magnitude-5.9 quake that hit off Indonesia's southern Java island on Saturday

More than 1,000 buildings were damaged by the magnitude-5.9 quake that hit off Indonesia's southern Java island on Saturday

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