Jakarta - Thousands of residents in Indonesia's West Papua province remained in makeshift camps on Wednesday as aftershocks continued to rattle the easternmost region following a strong earthquake that left four people dead, officials said. On Wednesday six aftershocks measuring between 5.0 and 5.6 on the Richter scale hit Manokwari after a 7.6 magnitude quake hit the town on Sunday, the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency said.
There were no reports of more casualties or damage, the agency said.
Sunday's quake killed four people, damaged 1,400 houses and 80 office buildings, said Mendosa, an official at a post run by the local National National Disaster Management Agency in Manokwari. Like many Indonesians, he goes by only one name.
At least 15 hospitals and clinics and more than 70 places of worship were also damaged, he said.
About 17,000 people were still living in tents scattered in 18 locations across Manokwari, Mendosa said.
"Residents are still refusing to return home because they are afraid of aftershocks and a tsunami," he said.
Mendosa said the national and local governments had acted swiftly to provide relief supplies to the victims.
Ignacio Leon-Garcia, coordinator for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said he expected most of the displaced could return to their homes by the end of the week.
"The government has enough capacities to deal with the situation and has distributed enough food and other items," Leon-Garcia said, adding that electricity and communication had been restored.
Leon-Garcia also said the government had learned from previous disasters and was able to response quickly.
"The government reacted very well at the beginning of the disaster. It deployed officials immediately, funds were approved and doctors dispatched to the area," he said. "The response has been better coordinated, effective and more focused."
Last year Indonesia was hit by 460 earthquakes with magnitude of 5.0 or higher, he said.
Indonesia sits in the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, a chain of fault lines and volcanoes known noted for seismic activity.
A powerful earthquake off the coast of Sumatra island triggered a tsunami in December 2004 that killed 170,000 in Indonesia's Aceh province alone.
