ASEAN HEADLINE-VOLCANO WATCH: INDONESIA-ARCHIPELAGO | Magnitude 6.5 earthquake strikes off Java island: authorities
Residents in Kalibata City apartment complex in South Jakarta also feel the magnitude 6.5 earthquake located off the coast of Garut, West Java, on April 27, 2024.. (Kompas.com/Raditya Helabumi)
.
The quake, which the United States Geological Survey recorded at a magnitude of 6.1, was felt in capital Jakarta — where people were forced to evacuate buildings — and in nearby Bandung, West Java.
A magnitude-6.5 earthquake struck off the southwestern coast of Java island on Saturday, the country’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency (BMKG) reported.
The epicenter of the earthquake was located about 150 kilometers away from Garut, West Java. At least four people in the regency were injured and some buildings were damaged.
The quake, which the United States Geological Survey (USGS) recorded at a magnitude of 6.1, was felt in capital Jakarta — where people were forced to evacuate buildings — and in nearby Bandung, West Java.
“I screamed to my wife and kids to tell them to get out of the house,” Iman Krisnawan, a 47-year-old resident of Bandung, told AFP.
“Usually, earthquakes lasted about 5 seconds, this one lasted between 10-15 seconds.”
There was no tsunami alert, according to BMKG. The USGS reported the depth at 68.3 kilometers. Morning Brief Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning. Delivered straight to your inbox three times weekly, this curated briefing provides a concise overview of the day’s most important issues, covering a wide range of topics from politics to culture and society.
Indonesia, a vast archipelago nation, experiences frequent earthquakes due to its position on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, an arc of intense seismic activity where tectonic plates collide that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.
A magnitude-6.2 quake that shook Sulawesi island in January 2021 killed more than 100 people and left thousands homeless.
In 2018, a magnitude-7.5 quake and subsequent tsunami in Palu on Sulawesi killed more than 2,200 people.
And in 2004, a magnitude-9.1 quake struck Aceh province, causing a tsunami and killing more than 170,000 people in Indonesia.
The Jakarta Post Jakarta Sun, April 28, 2024