"The magnitude of the earthquake was strong enough to force us running out of our house for fear of another stronger aftershock," said Roni, a local resident, on Wednesday.
Local Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) in its official website said the epicenter of the temblor was located at 4,44 degrees southern latitude and 102.09 degrees eastern longitude at a depth of 23 km, or about 74 km southwest of Bengkulu.
But according to the BMKG, the earthquake did not have potential to create tsunami, fatality, nor material damage.
Bengkulu Province, which is prone to earthquake, was on August 16, 2011 jolted by a strong earthquake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale with its epicenter located at at 8.73 degrees southern latitude, and 100.42 degrees eastern longitude, around 547 km southwest of Bintuhan, Bengkulu Province, and at a depth of 10 km below sea level.
The province has been twice rocked by two powerful quakes since 2000. An earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale rattled the province in 2000, destroying thousands of house buildings, and killing hundreds of people.
Another powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.9 again rocked the province in 2007, leaving many house buildings damaged and tens of people dead.
Both quakes inflicted material losses totaling hundreds of billions of rupiahs to the local people.
Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where the meeting of continental plates causes high volcanic and seismic activity.(*)
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Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
