The epicenter of the earthquake which struck at 21:48 WIB (West Indonesia Standard Time) was located 74 kilometers southeast of South Bolaang Mongodow District at a depth of 10 kilometers, according to the Meteorology, Climatology and.Geophysics Agency on its Twitter account.
The tremor was felt in the district at II MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity). In last October, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) appealed to Indonesians to always remain vigilant to natural disasters since Indonesia is located on the Ring of Fire, thereby making it prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
"Everyone knows that Indonesia is located in the Ring of Fire zone. This means tsunami and earthquakes are experienced by people living in the Ring of Fire zone," he stated during an inspection of an earthquake victim command post in Tulehu Village, Maluku Tengah District, Maluku Province, on Tuesday.
The president pointed to the fact that natural disasters could occur not only in Maluku Tengah but also in the rest of the country.
He further drew attention of the people to the extent of damage caused by earthquakes that hit Aceh, Padang, Bengkulu, Lampung, Banten, and Yogyakarta
"Two years ago, (a strong earthquake engulfed) Nusa Tenggara, and one year ago (another powerful quake) hit Palu and Donggala," he noted.
Related news: Six houses in Bitung damaged in North Maluku's recent earthquake
Related news: BMKG stresses on critical infrastructure development in coastal areas
Translator: Muhammad Zulfikar/Suharto
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
