Maluku Residents Urged to Not Believe in Quake, Tsunami Rumors

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) warned Maluku Province residents not to believe in rumors, fake news, and misleading information on a powerful earthquake and tsunami that could jolt Ambon, Masohi, and Banda. No one could precisely predict when and where the earthquakes would occur as this agency recorded that as of Saturday at 11.00 a.m. local time, 475 aftershocks had occurred in the aftermath of the 6.5-magnitude quake on September 26.

The agency noted that 64 of the 475 aftershocks were felt by residents in the Maluku provincial areas of Kairatu, Ambon, Masohi, and Banda.

Agus Wibowo, acting chief of the BNPB Data and Information Center and Public Relations, has also urged Maluku's residents to remain vigilant to aftershocks and not be easily incited by fake information that may cause panic and fear.

Regarding the impact of Thursday's powerful earthquake, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) recorded that as of Saturday at 07.35 a.m. local time, 20 people were killed, 152 sustained injuries, and 25,000 survivors had taken refuge.

The earthquake affected the areas of Ambon, Maluku Tengah District, and Seram Bagian Barat District in which 534 houses, 12 houses of worship, eight government buildings, six schools, one health center, one market, and one bridge were damaged.

The refugees and wounded survivors still need such humanitarian aid as tents, food and drink, baby food, fuel, sanitary napkins, and health services, the BNPB revealed.

ue to this powerful earthquake, several buildings of Pattimura University were damaged. On Friday, Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi inspected the state of the public university.

He had reported the impact of the earthquake on Pattimura University's facilities to his colleague, Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Minister Basuki Hadimuljono, Sumadi said.

Unpatti Rector M.J. Sapteno had even spoken to Minister Basuki Hadimuljono about his university's damaged buildings, Sumadi said.

He had also called on Minister Basuki Hadimuljono to intimate him of the impact of the earthquake, Sumadi further said.

ANTARA