5.6-magnitude earthquake rocks Indonesia; 56 dead, over 700 injured
What's the story
A shallow earthquake of magnitude 5.6 hit Indonesia on Monday, leaving at least 56 people dead and injuring over 700.
The epicenter was in the Cianjur region of West Java, while the tremors were reportedly felt up to Jakarta.
The quake reportedly damaged many structures, feared to be in thousands, and triggered landslides too.
Many people in surrounding villages are yet to be evacuated.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Indonesia is positioned near the Pacific Ring of Fire, where tectonic plates collide. This makes it prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
To recall, a shallow earthquake of magnitude 6.9, followed by an aftershock of magnitude 5.4, rocked Western Indonesia on Friday. However, no serious damage was reported.
The epicenter was near Enggano, a tiny island about 155 kilometers southwest of Sumatra's Bengkulu.
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Officials said most deaths were counted in only one hospital
A 5.6-magnitude earthquake rattled Indonesia's West Java province, a local official said https://t.co/uoaK5TwFad pic.twitter.com/3iovdwg7Re
— Reuters (@Reuters) November 21, 2022
Details
Meteorological agency advised people to stay outdoors
Earlier, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) reported the magnitude of the Monday earthquake as 5.4.
The hypocenter was at a depth of 10km, making it a shallow earthquake.
Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics (BMKG) head Dwikorita Karnawati advised citizens to stay outside the buildings for the time being as the fear of more tremors still lingers.
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The map shows the concentration decades of earthquakes
🔎 Regional instrumental seismicity in Java, Indonesia. The colored dots represent the #earthquakes that have struck the region [using @ISCseism catalog -1960 to 2020- and @EMSC data -from 2021 onwards]: pic.twitter.com/N2vTQtnAYp
— EMSC (@LastQuake) November 21, 2022
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Injuries and fatalities will increase over time: Governor
"Data from the district head team—56 people died and more than 700 injured. Because there are still a lot of people trapped on the scene, we assume injuries and fatalities will increase over time," West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil reportedly said at a press conference.
Details
A quake in January killed over 100 people
Hundreds of people are reportedly waiting outdoors after the latest earthquake in Indonesia. Some people wore hard hats to protect themselves from falling debris.
Officials said the death toll could rise further as many are still feared trapped.
To recall, in January, an earthquake of magnitude 6.2 struck Sulawesi island, which resulted in the death of more than 100 and rendered thousands homeless.