2nd LD: Shallow quake kills 1, damages hundreds of houses in Indonesia

JAKARTA, April 18 (Xinhua) -- A shallow earthquake hit Central Java province of western Indonesia on Wednesday, leaving one person dead and hundreds houses and buildings destroyed, a disaster agency official said.

The 4.4-magnitude quake struck the province at 13:28 p.m. Jakarta time (0728 GMT) with the epicenter 52 km north of Kebumen district and a depth of 4 km, according to the meteorology and geophysics agency.

Several people were hit by the debris of damaged houses and buildings in Banjarnegara district, said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman of the national disaster management agency.

"The wounded people have been rushed to a nearby health clinic for medical treatment, and some others have been evacuated," he told Xinhua.

Houses, school buildings and mosques were damaged by the quake, Sutopo said, adding that the hardest-hit area is Kertosari village.

Risk assessment of the natural disaster is being undertaken along with establishment of emergency relief center, he said.

Indonesia is prone to quake as it lies on a vulnerable quake-hit zone of "the Pacific Ring of Fire." Enditem