TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - An earthquake measuring a magnitude of 5.5 jolted West Halmahera, North Maluku, Thursday night, May 19, 2022, at 22:29 Western Indonesian Time (WIB). The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) updated the magnitude value to 5.3.

The quake was centered at sea, 1.69° North Latitude and 126.38° East Longitude, or 32 kilometers north of Batang Dua Island, Ternate, and at a depth of 10 kilometers.

According to the agency’s head of the quake and tsunami center, Bambang Every Prayitno, it was a shallow quake triggered by deformation activity on the Maluku Sea plate.

“The analysis shows that the quake has a thrust fault mechanism,” Bambang added in his statement on Thursday.

The tremor was felt in Manado, Tondano, and Bitung areas on level III of the MMI scale. A quake of MMI level III can be felt indoors akin to the movement of a truck. On the BMKG’s social media, some people claiming to reside in Manado, Bitung, and Tonsea said they could feel the shaking.

Bambang asked local residents to remain calm and not be influenced by baseless issues and avoid cracked or damaged buildings due to the earthquake.

MARIA FRANSISCA LAHUR

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