TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A 5.4-magnitude earthquake hit Meulaboh, the capital city of West Aceh District, Aceh Province, on Monday evening but no tsunami warning was issued and there were no immediate reports of casualties or damages.
The epicenter of the earthquake that occurred at around 11.26 pm local time was at a depth of 25 km and 74 km away from southwest of Meulaboh, the Meubaloh Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) spokesman, Angga Yudha, told Antara.
"This earthquake does not potentially trigger a tsunami. But, its tremors can likely be felt by people living outside Meulaboh, and can move or cause small things to fall," he said, adding that the quake caused some residents to get panicked.
Due to the fact that Indonesia lies on the Circum-Pacific Belt, which is also known as the Ring of Fire, it has become this nation`s destiny if many tectonic plates meet and cause frequent volcanic and seismic activities.
Over the past three months, a string of earthquakes has continuously been shaking different parts of Indonesia, and no one in the country exactly knows when these natural disasters stop threatening the archipelago.
Instead of subsiding, the earthquakes keep on shaking Indonesia, including the city of Manado, Bitung, and North Minahasa in North Sulawesi Province on Saturday afternoon, and Lebak area in Banten Province on early Sunday.
In August and September, a series of deadly earthquakes also hit the Indonesian island of Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara Province as well as the city of Palu and districts of Donggala and Sigi, living several thousands of people dead.
According to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), the disaster is expected to have made the Central Sulawesi Province suffer material losses of at least Rp10 trillion.
The central government, as revealed by Vice President Jusuf Kalla, has set a targeted time of finishing the rehabilitation and recovery endeavors within two years.
ANTARA
