Bima Earthquake
© Unknown
Earthquake Claims Two Lives in Bima

Mataram - Two locals were reported to have died after a 6.7 Richter scale earthquake located 28 kilometers north-west of Raba, Bima city, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), occurred Monday, approximately at 03:41:46 WITA.

Masita, a local from Raba Ngodu, East Rasanae subdistrict, Bima City, who was contacted by mobile confirmed that two locals from Kolo village, Kolo Asakota subdistrict, Bima city, died under collapsed buildings.

"That's the information we received from the relatives there. When the earthquake happened we were fast asleep and the power was still down," she stated.

Information of life casualties was also admitted by Herdin, a local from Monggonao, West Rasanae subdistrict. He said, confirmation of the two deaths due to earthquake was announced through the loud-speaker on the mosque and the Bima FM radio shortly after the disaster struck.

Aside from the deaths, he said, assumably many locals were injured. Houses were also damaged and some even collapsed. The locals whose houses damaged or collapsed by the quake are currently still outside their homes.

"Possibly the death toll of this earthquake still increases," he said.

Herdin stated the received information, many people from Kolo village on the coastal areas evacuated to the hills fearing that the earthquake might cause a tsunami.

Data from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) of Selaparang, Mataram, stated that the quake's location is at 8.24 south latitude - 118.65 east longitude, at the depth of 25 kilometers under the surface of the sea.

The center of the quake is also at 139 kilometers north-west of Labuhan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), 139 kilometers north-east of Sumbawa Besar, NTB, 206 kilometers north-west of Ruteng, NTT and 208 kilometers north-east of Taliwang, West Sumbawa, NTB. The earthquake has no potential of causing a tsunami.