The modeling results show that the quake has no potential to trigger a tsunami.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Fault activity in the Banda Sea, Maluku, triggered an earthquake with a magnitude (M) of 6.4 in the sea, the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) reported on Saturday.

Head of the BMKG’s Center for Earthquake and Tsunami, Daryono, said here on Saturday that the epicenter of the earthquake was located at 5.28 degrees south latitude (LS) and 125.64 degrees east longitude (BT).

Precisely, it was located in the sea at a distance of 227 kilometers (km) northeast of Wakatobi district, Southeast Sulawesi province, at a depth of 32 km, he informed.

"Considering the location of the epicenter and the depth of the hypocenter, the earthquake was a shallow earthquake due to active fault activity in the Banda Sea," he said.

A source mechanism analysis revealed that the quake on Saturday had a strike-slip mechanism, he added.

He said that the shocks caused by the quake, which occurred 3:23 p.m. Western Indonesia Standard Time (WIB) on Saturday, were felt by the residents of Wakatobi at an intensity of III–IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) Scale.

The vibrations were also sensed in South Buru district, Maluku province, at an intensity of III MMI.

Tremors with an intensity of MMI III feel similar to a truck passing close by. Meanwhile, MMI IV scale shocks can cause pottery to break, windows and doors to creak, and cause walls to make noise.

"The earthquake was preceded by a foreshock with a magnitude of 4.8. As of 4:30 p.m. WIB, the BMKG recorded that there were two aftershocks with the largest magnitude of 5.5M," Daryono noted.

So far, there have been no reports of any damage caused by the earthquake, he said.

"The modeling results show that the quake has no potential to trigger a tsunami," he added.

The BMKG official appealed to the public to avoid entering buildings that were cracked or damaged in the disaster.

"Check and ensure that the buildings you live in are quite earthquake-resistant or there is no damage due to the earthquake, which could endanger the stability of the buildings, before you return there," he advised.

People must also remain calm and not believe in any false information, he added.

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Translator: Zubi Mahrofi, Uyu Liman
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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