and Geophysical Agency (BMG), Fauzi, told a discussion in Central Jakarta.

He said approximately 100 aftershocks occurred after the first earthquake, with five of them ranging in intensity from 6.6 to 7.7 on the Richter scale. He added the BMG was still monitoring affected areas and a high alert status was continuing in the area.

Residents from the Bengkulu and West Sumatra provinces fled their homes in panic late Wednesday following a powerful undersea earthquake, measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale, with an epicenter some 100 kilometers southwest of Bengkulu.

The west coast of Sumatra is among several regions in Indonesia subject to earthquakes due to the fact they are located near the subduction zone -- an area where the Indo-Australia and Eurasia tectonic plates move toward one another at rates typically measured in centimeters per year.

The death toll from Wednesday's earthquake has reached 19, with at least 100 others severely injured.

More than 660 houses were destroyed in Bengkulu, with the administration also reporting damage to nine roads in the city.

Fauzi said local governments should plan earthquake mitigation strategies, including the construction of quake-proof buildings.

Several regions across the country, including Padang in West Sumatra and Denpasar in Bali, have already devised mitigation strategies in anticipation of possible natural disasters.

Legislator Theodorus Yakob of the House of Representatives' Commission VII overseeing environment issues praised the BMG's immediate response to the earthquake, but criticized the government for its late response.

"We still have to improve government responses to such disaster warnings. Many Bengkulu residents are yet to receive proper assistance from both the central and local governments," Yakob told the discussion.

Yakob, who also chairs the Disaster Management Division of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, said the government should provide compensation for residents whose houses were damaged by the earthquake.

Social Services Minister Bachtiar Chamsyah, who also attended the discussion, said the central government has formulated a compensation scheme for quake victims along Sumatra's west coast, with details to be announced soon.

"The government will compensate residents based on the extent to which their homes are damaged," he said.

He said the government would pay Rp 15 million (US$1,600) to residents with destroyed homes, while residents with minor damage to their homes would receive compensation ranging from Rp 5 million to Rp 10 million.

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