Considering the location of the epicenter and the depth of the hypocenter, the shock was a medium earthquake due to subduction activity in the Banda Sea.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The 6.1-magnitude (M) earthquake that hit Southwest Maluku District, Maluku Province, on Wednesday morning was due to the subduction in Banda Sea, according to the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).

The epicenter of the earthquake -- which struck at 2:25 a.m. Western Indonesia Standard Time (WIB) -- was located at sea at a distance of 28 kilometers (km) to the northeast of the district at a depth of 126 km.

"Considering the location of the epicenter and the depth of the hypocenter, the shock was a medium earthquake due to subduction activity in the Banda Sea," Head of BMKG’s Earthquake and Tsunami Center, Bambang Setiyo Prayitno, noted in a statement received here on Wednesday.

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Prayitno remarked that the earthquake source mechanism analysis showed that the disaster was caused by a thrust fault.

"The shocks were sensed in Saumlaki Village, Tanimbar Islands District, Maluku Province, at Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) II-III. Thus, the vibrations were felt by people indoors and akin to a passing truck," he remarked.

Meanwhile, the modeling results showed that the tremors did not have any potential to trigger a tsunami. As of 3:15 a.m. WIB, the agency had not monitored any aftershock.

Prayitno appealed to the public to remain calm and not be influenced by hoaxes regarding the disaster.

He emphasized that official information regarding disaster in Indonesia could be gained through BMKG’s official media, including Instagram and Twitter at @infoBMKG, website at bmkg.go.id or inatews.bmkg.go.id, telegram channel at t.me/InaTEWS_BMKG, as well as mobile apps of wrs-bmkg or infobmkg.

The people were also urged to check and ensure that their residential buildings were quite earthquake-resistant and there was no damage due to the quake before returning to the buildings.

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Translator: Devi Ramadhan, Uyu Liman
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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