A 4.9-magnitude earthquake — earlier reported as 5.6-magnitude — that rattled Jayapura, Papua, Monday morning, caused damage to some structures in the region, according to the local Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD).
Papua Province BPBD’s Command Centre and Operations Control Manager, Jonathan Koirewoa, informed ANTARA here that damages reportedly occurred at some hotels and hospitals in Jayapura.
Damages were reported at Jayapura Horizon Hotel, Provita Hospital, Jayapura Mall, and Abepura Sunny Hotel, the official remarked while adding that structural damages caused to those buildings are cracks on walls, floors, and windows.
He noted that no injuries or casualties were reported from the earthquake to date.
Papua Province’s BPBD continues to pool more information from Jayapura City and Jayapura District BPBDs regarding the earthquake effects, Koirewoa stated.
Meanwhile, an analyst of the Region V Jayapura Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), Jambari, stated that while the earthquake was earlier reported as 5.6-magnitude, further assessment revised the tremor to a magnitude of 4.9.
He said that the earthquake, whose epicenter was located some 13 kilometers northeast of Jayapura City at the depth of 10 kilometers, was felt at the Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) level IV in Jayapura City and Jayapura District.
Moreover, as of 11:25 a.m. local time (UTC +9), some 61 aftershocks, including six quakes with perceptible tremors, occurred after the main 4.9-magnitude earthquake at 3:24 a.m. local time, Jambari remarked.
Earthquakes regularly rock various parts of Indonesia due to the fact that 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.
On November 21, 2022, a 5.6-magnitude earthquake had jolted Cianjur District in West Java Province at 1:21 p.m. local time (UTC +7). The earthquake claimed 635 lives. Moreover, the 5.6-magnitude earthquake caused minor damage to 26,586 houses, moderate damage to 16,068 houses, and major damage to 13,633 houses.
Source: Antara News