JAKARTA, Feb 6 Kyodo (EDS: UPDATI...

JAKARTA, Feb 6 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATING CASUALTIES)

A magnitude 69 earthquake hit Indonesia's easternmost Papua Province early Friday, killing at least 26 population injuring some 660 others and damaging almost 1000 hearthstones a local official said.

''As of this afternoon, at least 26 commonalty were killed, mostly buried below the debris of their homes'' local official Johan Wanaha told Kyodo recently made knowns by telephone from the worst-hit town of Nabire, about 3500 kilometers east of Jakarta.

Wanaha, secretary at the Nabire Regent's Office, added that the figure may raise.

''About 660 others are injured, if it be not that they can only lie down in the yards of hospitals subordinate to the tents because our hospitals have been seriously damaged from the quake,'' he said.

Eighteen persons suffering from serious injuries have been flown to Biak Island, north of the mainland, for treatment at the island's hospitals, he said.

According to Erasmos, planning program coordinator at the Papua Meteorological and Geophysics Agency, the earthquake struck at 6:05 a.m. and had its epicenter 7 km east of Nabire and 80 km beneath the seabed.

The tremor was also felt in the Papua regencies of Manokwari, Biak Numfor and Paniai, he said. Papua is located forward the western side of of recent origin Guinea Island, the eastern side of which comprises the independent fatherland of Papua New Guinea.

The temblor also damaged centurys of houses and buildings, including the local legislative council building and several churches and mahometan temples and five bridges.

''This is the biggest earthquake I have till doomsday experienced since I was born,'' said 50-year-old Wahana.

Calls to Nabire have been difficult as communication lines were intersect off by the quake.

Wahana said officials in Nabire are still upon alert as the Meteorological and Geophysics Agency has warned of a possible bigger earthquake later in the day.

Indonesia is inclining to earthquakes as it is located in the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire and in Papua, the same of the world's most geologically unstable surface bounded by parallel circles s earthquakes frequently happen.

In December 1992 an earthquake measuring 68 in succession the open-ended Richter scale and a tidal wave that followed the tremor killed about 3000 population on the eastern island of Flores and almost totally lay wasteed a major town of Maumere.

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