On Friday (May 23), a 5.7 magnitude earthquake struck in the southwestern sea area of Sumatra Island, Indonesia, causing damage to over a hundred houses. Fortunately, there have been no reports of casualties.
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake occurred at 2:52 a.m. local time (3:52 a.m. Taiwan time) with a depth of 68 kilometers. The epicenter was located near Bengkulu Province.
The Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) measured the magnitude as 6, with a depth of 84 kilometers, stating that there is no risk of a tsunami being triggered by this earthquake.
Abdul Muhari, a spokesperson for the Indonesian National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), announced during a press conference that the earthquake damaged over a hundred houses and at least six public facilities in Bengkulu city.
“In Bengkulu city, 140 houses were affected by the earthquake, with 8 of them collapsing,” he added. In the central region of Bengkulu, two houses sustained minor damages during the earthquake.
As of Friday morning, there were no reports of casualties received.
Due to the earthquake occurring in the middle of the night, many residents were awakened from their sleep and immediately ran outside to seek safety.
Erick Catur Nugroho, 36 years old, told AFP, “When the earthquake hit, our windows were shaking vigorously, and a huge roar woke us up suddenly.”
“We instinctively grabbed our child and rushed outside. When we got outside, we found our neighbors already standing at the door.”
Indonesia is located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area known for frequent seismic activity with thousands of earthquakes occurring every year. In 2004, a powerful 9.1 magnitude earthquake struck the coast of Aceh province in Sumatra, triggering a devastating tsunami that claimed nearly 170,000 lives.