101 Houses And 1 Place Of Worship Damaged By The M5 Earthquake In North Halmahera

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MALUT - A total of 101 houses were damaged by an earthquake whose strength was updated to a magnitude (M) of 5 in North Halmahera Regency, North Maluku (Malut), Monday, April 18 morning.

Acting Head of the Center for Disaster Data, Information and Communication of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) Abdul Muhari said that of the total, 69 housing units were heavily damaged, while 32 were slightly damaged.

"The earthquake, with an epicenter at 1.90 North Latitude and 127.82 East Longitude at a depth of 10 kilometers, has affected 156 people from 34 families. The earthquake which lasted for 1-2 seconds also caused panic among the residents so that they scattered out of their houses. ," Abdul said in a written statement, quoted from Antara, Monday, April 18.

He also reported that a place of worship was heavily damaged. A visual report from the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of North Halmahera Regency, shows that some parts of the walls of the house cracked and collapsed and fell to the ground. In addition, some tiles also fell.

Meanwhile, Abdul said BPBD of North Halmahera Regency recorded the coverage of the affected areas including Ngidiho Village and Dokulamo Village in West Galela District, Towara Village, Baratu Village and Simau Village in Galela District.

Abdul said that until now there have been no reports of casualties. As an effort to accelerate the handling of the earthquake, the BPBD of North Halmahera Regency together with other relevant agencies conducted a rapid assessment at the scene.

Based on the InaRisk BNPB disaster risk assessment index, the North Halmahera Regency area has a moderate to high level of risk for the potential impact of an earthquake. There are at least 198,400 people living in 17 sub-districts at risk of being affected by the earthquake.

Facing the potential for earthquake hazards, BNPB appealed to the public to always be vigilant and alert. Please note that until now there is no technology that is able to predict the time, location and strength of an earthquake that will occur.

Injuries and deaths occurred not caused by earthquake shocks but by the ruins of buildings. Therefore, identify the potential hazards and risks around, especially the condition of their respective homes.