"Do not panic. Information, disseminated publicly, is now transparent. Sometimes, the information is contradictory but goes viral. As a result, it creates mass panic," he said here on Wednesday.
He then called upon the district's residents to rely on information from credible sources, including the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) and the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).
The quake that jolted Karangasem district on Tuesday evening left 2 people injured and damaged 46 homes.
The damaged houses were located in the sub-districts of Kubu, Manggis, Karangasem, Abang, Rendang, and Bebandem, according to head of the BMKG's Earthquake and Tsunami Center, Daryono.
The earthquake caused slight damage to 24 houses in Kubu, 5 homes in Manggis, 10 in Karangasem, 2 in Abang, 1 in Rendang, and 4 residences in Bendadem, he said.
Meanwhile, BNPB spokesperson Abdul Muhari said the 2 injured residents have been admitted to a local hospital for treatment.
In the aftermath of the 5.2-magnitude earthquake, the BMKG recorded at least 21 aftershocks with a maximum magnitude of 4.5, he informed.
Related news: Two injured, 46 houses damaged in earthquake in Karangasem
Earthquakes regularly rock various parts of Indonesia due to the fact that the country lies on the Circum-Pacific Belt, also known as the Ring of Fire, where several tectonic plates meet and cause frequent volcanic and seismic activities.
On November 21, 2022, for instance, a 5.6-magnitude earthquake jolted Cianjur district in West Java province at 1:21 p.m. local time.
According to the Cianjur district administration, the number of houses brought down and severely damaged by the earthquake stood at 8,151.
"The number of severely damaged houses has increased from 7,817 to 8,151 units. They all have been verified," secretary of the Cianjur district government, Cecep Alamsyah, informed at a press conference on December 4.
Alamsyah said that the number of houses that suffered moderate damage had also increased from 10,589 to 11,210 units.
Meanwhile, the number of houses with mild damage also climbed up from 17,195 to 18,469 units, he informed, adding that the earthquake had also caused severe damage to 525 school buildings, 269 houses of worship, 14 healthcare facilities, and 17 office buildings.
As of December 4, the death toll from the Cianjur quake had reached 334, while 8 residents remained missing, he stated.
One of the deadliest earthquakes in Indonesia in the past four years was the one that struck several areas of Central Sulawesi province in 2018.
The 7.4-magnitude earthquake, which was followed by a tsunami that struck Palu city and the districts of Donggala, Paringi Moutong, and Sigi on September 28, 2018, claimed 2,102 lives, injured 4,612, and left 680 others missing.
A total of 68,451 homes were seriously damaged and 78,994 people were displaced by the quake.
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Translator: Devi NSR, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Suharto
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