Was Rocked By A Magnitude 5 Earthquake, Tourist Activities On Garut Beach Remain Normal

Officers carry out marine patrols to monitor tourist activity on the coast of Garut Regency, West Java, Sunday (31/12/2023). (ANTARA/HO-Satpolairud Garut Police).

Community activities and tourists in coastal tourist attraction areas in Garut Regency, West Java, have returned to normal even though after that they were shaken by an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.0 with an earthquake point in the Southwest of Pangandaran, Sunday afternoon. Head of the Water and Air Police Unit (Satpolairud) of the Garut Police, AKP Anang Sonjaya, confirmed that the earthquake had been felt by some people on the coast. However, not long after, the activities of tourists and the community on the beach returned to normal. "Alhamdulillah, it is safe, the visitors are normal as usual," said Anang, quoted from Antara, Sunday, December 31. He said the earthquake measuring 5.0 magnitude shook and felt some people in the coastal area of Garut. Furthermore, the Garut Police Satpolairud along with other joint officers, said Anang, immediately checked every beach security post in the south of Garut, the results of which were in normal condition. "At the monitoring posts everything is fine, and their activities continue as if they did not feel an earthquake," he said. He said that before the New Year holidays, the condition of beach tourist attractions had begun to be crowded with visitors. He appealed to the public to remain careful when doing swimming on the beach because high waves can happen at any time and can endanger people around the beach. "An appeal to visitors to remain careful when playing on the beach, always be aware of sea waves that can change at any time," he said. Meanwhile, the condition of the Pangandaran Beach tourist attraction in Pangandaran Regency, which is still on a coastline with beaches in Garut, was also reported to be safe and normal after an earthquake occurred. Head of the Pangandaran Police Satpolairud AKP Sugianto said that tourists are currently starting to get busy in the coastal area ahead of the turn of the year. Tourist activities on the beach, he said, were observed to be normal as usual even though previously they had been rocked by an earthquake. "The situation is normal," he said. An official report from www.bmkg.go.id that the tectonic earthquake had a magnitude of 5.0 located in the sea at a distance of 90 KM southwest of Pangandaran, West Java at a depth of 50 km, Sunday at 11.52 WIB.

Previously, a tectonic earthquake measuring 5.5 magnitude occurred in the south of West Java, Thursday at 05.43 WIB with an earthquake point in the sea at a distance of 94 KM southwest of Pangandaran Regency, at a depth of 41 KM.