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Indonesia has been hit by a 6.5 M earthquake. The temblor struck Maluku, Indonesia’s least populated region with a population of 1.7 million. At least 20 people were killed and 100 injured.
The quake shook Indonesia at 6:46 a.m. local time, 20.5 miles northeast of Ambon, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency reported that dozens of homes, buildings, and other public facilities, including a major bridge in Ambon were damaged in the earthquake.
According to the Associated Press, a teacher was killed when parts of an Islamic University collapsed. He was stepping out of his car and heading to the door when the rubble fell on him, according to Benny Bugis, a cameraman for Reuters. He also said two other people were injured.
Spokesman for the disaster mitigation agency, Agus Wibowo, stated that at least 19 others were killed and 100 people were injured. More than 2,000 people took refuge in shelters.
The tremor was not large enough to cause a tsunami, stated Rahmat Triyono, head of the earthquake and tsunami division at Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency. Still, people on the coast chose to seek higher ground.
Thursday’s, Sept. 26, 2019 earthquake came two days before the anniversary of the 7.5 M temblor that shook Palu and killed 4,000 people.
Indonesia sits on the Ring of Fire, which is seismically active, therefore, the area often experiences violent quakes and tsunamis.
In 2004, a powerful Indian Ocean quake and tsunami killed 230,000 people in a dozen countries, most of them in Indonesia.
By Jeanette Smith
Sources:
The Weather Channel: Strong Earthquake Strikes Indonesia Killing At Least 20 People
US News: Earthquake Shakes Eastern Indonesia, Kills at Least 20
The Times of Israel: Infant among at least 20 killed in Indonesian quake
Image Courtesy of csm2mk RTW’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
