An intense and shallow undersea earthquake rattled a portion of Indonesia’s Aceh province on Saturday, with no immediate reports of significant damage or casualties. The US Geological Survey indicated that the earthquake had a magnitude of 5.9 and was centered 362 kilometers (225 miles) east of Sinabang, a coastal town in Aceh province, occurring at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles). While Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency assured that there was no tsunami threat, they cautioned about the potential for aftershocks.
Indonesia, a sprawling archipelago with a population exceeding 270 million, is frequently exposed to seismic activity and volcanic eruptions due to its location on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin. In recent history, a magnitude 5.6 earthquake in Cianjur city on November 21 claimed the lives of at least 331 people and injured nearly 600, marking the deadliest quake in Indonesia since the 2018 disaster in Sulawesi that claimed approximately 4,340 lives. Notably, the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, one of the most powerful in history, triggered a devastating tsunami that resulted in over 230,000 fatalities across multiple countries, with a significant toll in Indonesia’s Aceh province.
Post Your Comments