An earthquake of magnitude 5.4 hit the north coast of Papua, Indonesia, locking people inside a waterfront cafe and killing at least four people and damage to buildings, according to officials.
The earthquake struck on Thursday at 1.28 p.m. local time (06:28 GMT) at a depth of 10 km, according to Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency (BMKG).
Four persons lost their lives in a cafe after it collapsed. Asep Khalid, director of the Jayapura disaster mitigation organisation, made the comment in a news release.
When the earthquake hit, residents in Jayapura reported that many rushed for cover and evacuated from their homes and places of business. Social media posts included pictures of the area’s damaged buildings as well as what seemed to be a building submerged in the water up to its roof.
Potential aftershocks were warned about by the meteorological office.
“I was having lunch when things suddenly swayed, the jolt got much stronger,” said Putri Kurita, 30, who ran for the exit at another restaurant fearing it would collapse, too.
The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) recorded the earthquake at a magnitude of 5.5.
Because Indonesia is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a region where tectonic plates meet, it regularly suffers earthquake and volcanic activity.
According to BMKG, there have been more than a thousand earthquakes in the region since January of this year.
“Since Jan 2, 2023, there have been 1,079 quakes around Jayapura, with about 132 felt by its residents,” said BMKG chief, Dwikorita Karnawati.
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