4 dead as 5.2-magnitude earthquake hits Indonesia's Papua

4 dead as 5.2-magnitude earthquake hits Indonesia’s Papua

Ahmed

February 9, 2023

At least four people were killed and several buildings damaged after a shallow, 5.2-magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia’s easternmost region of Papua on Thursday, the country’s disaster agency said.

The epicentre of the quake was one kilometre from Jayapura, the capital city of Papua province, at a depth of 10km, according to Indonesia’s geophysics agency (BMKG).

The four victims had been at a cafe when the quake caused the building to collapse, said Jayapura’s disaster agency head, Asep Khalid in a statement. The quake was felt strongly for two to three seconds, causing panic amongst residents, he added.

Unverified footage on social media showed a harbourside building had collapsed into the sea and light damage to a mall and hospital in the city.

The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) recorded the earthquake at a magnitude of 5.5. Thursday’s quake in Papua was one of more than a thousand recorded in the area since January this year, according to BMKG.

“Since Jan 2, 2023, there have been 1,079 quakes around Jayapura, with about 132 felt by its residents,” said BMKG chief, Dwikorita Karnawati.

A tremor of magnitude 5.3 hit the Indonesian region a couple of weeks ago. However, no tsunami warning was issued and no casuaties or damage was recorded.