No Report Received on Victims of Bali, NTB Earthquake: BNPB

Jakarta, (Antara) - The National Natural Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has yet to receive a report on the casualties in a magnitude-6.4 earthquake that hit Bali, Nusa Tenggara Barat (NTB), and Banyuwangi on Wednesday morning.

"We have not yet received any report on casualties and damaged buildings as a result of the earthquake," BNPB Head of the Information Data Center Sutop Purwo Nugroho stated in Jakarta on Wednesday.

He said the local BNPB offices (BNPBD) are still looking for any possible casualties and damage cause by the earthquake that measured 6.4 on Richter scale.

"The command post of the BNPB is communicating with the Bali BNPBD to check the impact of the earthquake," Nugroho remarked.

He said the residents in Denpasar, the Bali provincial capital, felt strong tremors for about five seconds. They fled their rooms, as the quake shook their homes.

As a result of the tremors, window glass panes vibrated, cars swayed, and some children got frightened and began crying. They felt the quake's tremors twice, the second one being stronger.

"Residents in the districts of Badung, Tabanan, Klungkung, Gianyar, Karangasem, Singaraja, Bangli, and Buleleng felt the tremors," Nugroho noted.

It was earlier reported that a strong earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale rocked the islands of Bali and NTB at 7:10 a.m. local time on Wednesday morning, but it had no potential to trigger a tsunami.

Head of Mataram's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) Agus Riyanto stated that the earthquake was located at 8.88 degrees southern latitude and -115.24 degrees eastern longitude at a depth of 117 kilometers.

The tremors of the earthquake were felt in diverse intensities ranging from strong, moderate, to weak in several regions in the tourist resort province of Bali, such as Kuta, Gianyar, and Denpasar.

The tremors were also felt on the islands of Lombok and Sumbawa of NTB Province, with an intensity scale of III-V modified mercalli intensity. In these areas, almost all felt the tremors.

"The tremors of the earthquake were also reportedly felt in Banyuwangi, East Java," Riyanto revealed.

Taking into account the depth of its epicenter, the earthquake's scale is of medium category. It was triggered by a subduction between the Indo-Australian and Eurasian plates.

An earthquake, measuring five on the Richter scale, is capable of causing considerable damage, and one measuring six can lead to severe damage.

"Until this report was filed, there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage incurred due to the earthquake," he said.

The BMKG official has called on the residents to stay calm and follow the directives of the regional Natural Disaster Mitigation agencies and the BMKG.(*)