Jakarta (ANTARA News) - An earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale jolted the eastern Indonesian province of North Maluku at 4.21 a.m. East Indonesia Standard Time (WIT) on Tuesday.

According to data from Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), the epicenter of the earthquake was located at 0.19 degrees southern latitude and 129.53 degrees eastern longitude at a depth of 10 kilometers under the sea level, or some 174 kilometers northeast of South Halmahera.

Earlier on Sunday, a 5.4-magnitude earthquake also jolted South Buru district in Maluku, causing casualties and damaging houses in the area.

Head of the the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB)

Data and Information Center Sutopo Purwo Nughroho noted in a press release on Monday that as a result of the earthquake, one person died, 19 suffered minor injuries, while three were severely injured.

Moreover, 68 houses were heavily damaged, 118 incurred moderate damage, while 53 others suffered minor damage due to the earthquake.

A mosque in the district incurred extensive damage as a result of the quake.

Limited accessibility, strong waves, and bad weather have hampered the earthquake mitigation efforts in the area, Nugroho pointed out.

The regional disaster mitigation agency of South Buru District has been collecting data and distributing logistics to the earthquake victims. (*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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