5 dead and several injured after magnitude 6.9 earthquake in Indonesia

The 6.9 magnitude earthquake on Friday night pushed residents to flee to the heights, while many residents of the capital, Jakarta, invaded the streets.

Jakarta, Indonesia:

Five people died and several were injured after a powerful underwater earthquake that shook the densely populated island of Java, Indonesia, causing a brief tsunami warning, the national disaster agency announced on Saturday.

The 6.9 magnitude earthquake on Friday night pushed residents to flee to the heights, while many residents of the capital, Jakarta, invaded the streets.

An official from the Indonesian National Disaster Assistance Agency warned that the earthquake could generate a tsunami of up to three meters in height, but the alert was lifted a few hours later.

Three people died of a heart attack as the earthquake shook the region, said agency spokesman Agus Wibowo on Saturday.

Another person died while fleeing his home when the tremor occurred, he said, while a fifth victim died as a result of a panic attack.

Four other people were injured and more than 200 buildings were damaged, with about 13 houses destroyed, he added.

More than 1,000 people, who had already fled to temporary shelters, returned home after the authorities convinced them that it was safe to do so, said Wibowo.

"There was a sound of thunder - it sounded like an airplane over my head-and I was so scared that I ran," said Isah, 69, who, like many Indonesians, has only one name, in an evacuation shelter at Pandeglang in the southwest corner of Java.

In December, the region was hit by a tsunami caused by a volcano that killed more than 400 people.

Indonesia is experiencing 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 earthquake and tsunami in Palu, on the island of Sulawesi, killed more than 2,200 people and another 1,000 were reported missing.