Based on the result of data collection, the number of people who lost their lives has reached 36, consisting of 11 in Ambon City, 15 in Maluku Tengah District, and 10 in western SeramAmbon, Maluku (ANTARA) - The death toll from a powerful earthquake that struck Maluku Province last Thursday has risen to 36 as of Wednesday. "Based on the result of data collection, the number of people who lost their lives has reached 36, consisting of 11 in Ambon City, 15 in Maluku Tengah District, and 10 in western Seram," Chief of Maluku Provincial Disaster Mitigation Office (BPBD) Farida Salampessy, said in Ambon Wednesday.
Seventy-five residents suffered broken bones, of which 72 were from Maluku Tengah, and three from western Seram, he said. Meanwhile, 74 people sustained light injuries, of which 27 were from Ambon, 18 from Maluku Tengah and 29 from western Seram.
Related news: Jokowi dispatches humanitarian aid to Ambon, Wamena
All injured residents received maximum treatment from the medical team, he said.
A 6.5-magnitude earthquake had rattled Ambon, Maluku Province, on Thursday at 8:46 a.m. local time.
The epicenter of the earthquake was 40 kilometers (km) northeast of Ambon, 43 km southeast of Western Seram, and at a depth of 10 km below sea level.
The tremor did not have the potential to trigger a tsunami but several residents were in a state of panic and fled to a hilly area.
The earthquake also destroyed 6,184 houses in Maluku Tengah.
Related news: State airport operator extends aid to Ambon quake victims
Translator: Jimmy Aya/Suharto
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
