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Indonesia's Aceh Besar District hit by 5.5-magnitude quake

A 5.5-magnitude earthquake struck several areas in Aceh Besar District, Aceh Province, on Saturday, at around 8:04 a.m. local time.

No immediate reports were received of casualties following the earthquake that did not trigger a tsunami, according to the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).

The agency recorded that the quake's epicenter was located around 38 kilometers (km) southwest of Jantho City in Aceh Besar District, at a depth of 92 km.

The quake’s tremors could be felt by those in Banda Aceh, Lhokseumawe, and the districts of Pidie Jaya, Nagan Raya, and Aceh Jaya.

Earthquakes regularly rock various parts of Indonesia since 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.

Aceh had also experienced the deadliest ever earthquake, followed by tsunami, on December 26, 2004. The catastrophe that also affected certain coastal areas in countries, such as Thailand, Sri Lanka, and India, reportedly killed some 230 thousand people.

The latest deadly earthquake to have rattled Indonesia was in West Sulawesi Province on January 15, 2021.

The 6.2-magnitude earthquake, ensued by several aftershocks, jolted the districts of Mamuju and Majene, claiming more than 100 lives and destroyed several buildings.

Sulawesi Island has repeatedly borne witness to deadly earthquakes. On September 28, 2018, for instance, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake hit several parts of Central Sulawesi Province.

The strong earthquake that was followed by a tsunami and soil liquefaction in Palu, the capital of Central Sulawesi Province, claimed 2,102 lives, injured 4,612, and rendered 680 others missing.

A total of 68,451 homes incurred serious damage, while 78,994 people were displaced.

The authorities and humanitarian workers decided to bury the large number of rotting corpses in mass graves.

Meanwhile, material losses inflicted by the twin deadly disasters were estimated to reach Rp15.29 trillion.The provincial capital of Palu bore the brunt of the disaster, with material damage and losses recorded at Rp7.6 trillion, or 50 percent of the total estimate, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).

The material damage and losses in Sigi District were recorded at Rp4.9 trillion, or 32.1 percent; Donggala District, at Rp2.1 trillion, or 13.8 percent; and Parigi Moutong District, at Rp631 billion, or 4.1 percent.

Material damage in the four affected areas reached an estimated Rp13.27 trillion, while material losses were reportedly around Rp2.02 trillion, the agency stated in October 2018//ANT