Earthquake Today: 5.6 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Indonesia; Dozens Killed, Over 300 Injured
At least 44 people have been killed and close to 300 have been injured in a 5.6 magnitude earthquake in Indonesia.
A 5.6 magnitude earthquake hit Indonesia's main island Java today, November 21, 2022, killing at least 44 people and injuring close to 300 people, a local spokesperson told AFP. “There have been dozens of people killed. Hundreds, even maybe thousands of houses are damaged. So far, 44 people have died," a spokesman for the local administration in Cianjur town told AFP. Officials have further added that the earthquake has damaged almost a dozen buildings.
Local Indonesian media have shown several buildings with collapsed roofs in Cianjur. The meteorological agency in the country has warned its residents near the earthquake-hit area to watch out for more tremors.
According to the USGS (United States Geological Survey), the earthquake was centred in the Cianjur region in the West Java province with a depth of 10 km. Tremors were also felt in the greater Jakarta area, rattling high-rise buildings in the capital city, which is located 100 km away. However, no casualties or major damages have been reported in Jakarta so far, though people have been rushed out of their buildings.
Indonesia is frequently struck by seismic and volcanic activities due to its position on the 'Ring of Fire,' which is an arc of seismically active earthquake epicentres, volcanoes, and tectonic plate boundaries in the Pacific basin.
In February 2022, a magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck the West Sumatra province, killing at least 25 people and injuring more than 460. In January 2021, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake hit Indonesia’s West Sulawesi province, killing over 100 people, injuring close to 6,500, and leaving thousands of citizens homeless.