An earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.4, that hit East Nusa Tenggara’s Flores Sea on December 14, 2021, forced some 3,900 residents of South Sulawesi’s Selayar Islands District to take refuge for safety reasons.

“According to the Selayar Islands Disaster Mitigation Agency, the displaced people are accommodated at 17 temporary shelters,” the National Disaster Mitigation Agency’s (BNPB’s) spokesperson, Abdul Muhari, remarked.

Out of the 3,900 affected residents, some 2,200 are being accommodated at six temporary shelters in Mintu’s area, Muhari noted in a statement on Wednesday evening.

The remaining 1,700 are being accommodated in temporary shelters in the areas of Puncak Majapahit, Langundi, Lambego, Lawaru, and Pasimaranu, he noted.

The number of refugees could continue to rise, as the local disaster mitigation agency’s personnel are still in the process of registering information on the earthquake survivors, Muhari stated.

Despite no casualties, the earthquake also caused injuries to 11 residents, who were hit by the rubble of collapsed buildings. The wounded survivors were offered medical treatment, he remarked.

Earthquakes regularly strike various parts of Indonesia, as the country lies on the Circum-Pacific Belt, also known as the Ring of Fire, where several tectonic plates meet and cause frequent volcanic and seismic activities.

Two of the deadliest earthquakes in Indonesia that occurred over the past few years were the ones that hit several areas of the provinces of West Nusa Tenggara and Central Sulawesi.

On August 5, 2018, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake rocked Mataram, the capital city of West Nusa Tenggara Province, killing at least 555 people and causing injuries to 829 others.

According to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), most fatalities were found to be residents of North Lombok District’s areas due to their proximity to the epicenter of the strong earthquake. The earthquakes that occurred repeatedly also damaged 23,098 houses and caused the forced displacement of 134,236 people.

Meanwhile, on September 28, 2018, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake that was followed by a tsunami hit the areas of Palu City and the districts of Donggala, Paringi Moutong, and Sigi in Central Sulawesi, claiming 2,102 lives.

The earthquake also injured 4,612 people and rendered 680 others missing. It also damaged 68,451 houses and displaced 78,994 people.

On January 15 this year, a deadly earthquake, with a magnitude of 6.2, rattled the districts of Mamuju and Majene in West Sulawesi Province, claiming over 100 lives and destroying several buildings.

Source: Antara News