Medan, N Sumatra (ANTARA News) - The number of houses damaged in Tuesday`s 5.5-magnitude earthquakes hitting North Tapanuli district, North Sumatra province, rose to 1,941 from 846 until Saturday, a spokesman said on Sunday.

The figure might increase as officers were still recording houses damaged in the two quakes affecting the western coastal areas of North Sumatra, head of the North Tapanuli district administration`s public relations service Jahormat Lumangaol said.

The quakes also damaged school buildings and other facilities.

Head of the North Tapanuli district education office Joskar Limbong said on Friday 124 class rooms of elementary, junior and senior high schools and vocational schools in the four sub-districts of Pahae Jae, Pahae Julu, Purba Tua and Simangumban, were lightly and seriously damaged.

Because of the damage to school buildings at least 1,500 elementary and junior high school students took exams at emergency tents, head of the North Sumatra provincial education office Syaiful Syafri said.

Two earthquakes each measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale jolted Tarutung, North Sumatra Province, on Tuesday.

The first temblor which occurred at 07.08 a.m. on Tuesday was centered 30 km southeast of Tarutung with epicenter at 1.79 degrees northern latitude and 99.13 degrees eastern longitude, at a depth of 10 km below sea level, the national meteorological, climatology and geophysics office said.

The epicenter of the second quake which happened at 10.01 a.m. was located 1.83 degrees northern latitude and 99.07 degrees eastern longitude, 22 km southeast of Tarutung.
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Editor: AA Ariwibowo
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