5.7 Magnitude Earthquake damages Hundreds of Homes in Indonesia

A 5.7 magnitude earthquake jolted the Indonesian island of Sumatra on Friday, inflicting damage to over 100 houses. However, there were no reports of casualties. According to United States Geological Survey, the tremors were felt at 02:52 am local time (1952 GMT Thursday) at a depth of 68 kilometers, and the epicenter was near Bengkulu province.

The local meteorological agency reported a higher magnitude of 6.0 and showed the epicenter at a depth of 84 kilometers. It also clarified that there were no risks for a tsunami.

The earthquake damaged over 100 houses and at least six public buildings in Bengkulu city, the provincial capital, said Abdul Muhari, spokesperson for Indonesia’s national disaster agency (BNPB), at a press conference on Friday. “In Bengkulu city, 140 houses were affected (by the quake), eight of which collapsed, meaning (they) cannot be repaired," he said.

In the Central Bengkulu district, two houses suffered minor damage in the quake. He informed that there were no casualties as of Friday morning.

Indonesia, a large group of islands, often experiences earthquakes because it sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire." This is a zone where tectonic plates meet and cause lots of seismic activity, stretching from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific Ocean.

In January 2021, a 6.2 magnitude earthquake hit Sulawesi, killing over 100 people and leaving thousands without homes. In 2018, a 7.5 magnitude earthquake and tsunami struck Palu in Sulawesi, killing more than 2,200 people. And in 2004, a massive 9.1 magnitude earthquake hit Aceh province, triggering a tsunami that killed over 170,000 people in Indonesia.