Significant 6.0 earthquake hits off East Java, Indonesia - 8 dead, dozens hurt (UPDATE)

Volcano Discovery
Sat, 10 Apr 2021 10:37 UTC

© AP

Pieces of roof tiles and other debris litter the ground at a school following an earthquake in Malang, East Java, Indonesia, April 10, 2021.

An intermediate magnitude 6.0 earthquake was reported early afternoon near Blitar, East Java, Indonesia.

According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), the quake hit on Saturday 10 April 2021 at 2:00 pm local time at an intermediate depth of 87 km.

The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.

Our monitoring service identified a second report from the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) which listed the quake at magnitude 5.9.

Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake was probably felt by many people in the area of the epicenter. It should not have caused significant damage, other than objects falling from shelves, broken windows, etc.

In Dampit (pop. 23,100) located 78 km from the epicenter, Gongdanglegi Kulon (pop. 22,500) 78 km away, Sumberpucung (pop. 35,300) 78 km away, Kepanjen (pop. 51,900) 82 km away, Pakisaji (pop. 30,200) 89 km away, Blitar (pop. 132,400) 92 km away, Ngunut (pop. 26,300) 99 km away, and Malang (pop. 746,700) 99 km away, the quake should have been felt as light shaking.

Comment: Update: April 11, report by AP:

8 Dead, Dozens Hurt as Indonesia Quake Shakes East Java

A strong earthquake on Indonesia's main island of Java killed eight people, including a woman whose motorcycle was hit by falling rocks, and damaged more than 1,300 buildings, officials said Sunday. It did not trigger a tsunami.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude 6.0 quake struck off the island's southern coast at 2 p.m. Saturday. It was centered 45 kilometers south of Sumberpucung town of Malang District in East Java province, at a depth of 82 kilometers.

Rahmat Triyono, the head of Indonesia's earthquake and tsunami center, said the undersea tremblor did not have the potential to cause a tsunami. Still, he urged people to stay away from slopes of soil or rocks that have the potential for landslides.

This was the second deadly disaster to hit Indonesia this week, after Tropical Cyclone Seroja caused a severe downpour Sunday that killed at least 174 people and left 48 still missing in East Nusa Tenggara province. Some victims were buried in either mudslides or solidified lava from a volcanic eruption in November, while others were swept away by flash floods. Thousands of homes with damaged.

Saturday's quake caused falling rocks to kill a woman on a motorcycle and badly injured her husband in East Java's Lumajang district, said Raditya Jati, spokesperson for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency.

He said about 1,189 homes and 150 public facilities, including schools, hospitals and government offices, were damaged. Rescuers retrieved four bodies from the rubble in Lumajang's Kali Uling village. Three people were also confirmed killed by the quake in Malang district.

Television reports showed people running in panic from malls and buildings in several cities in East Java province.

Indonesia, a vast archipelago of 270 million people, is frequently struck by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis because of its location on the "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.

In January, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake killed at least 105 people and injured nearly 6,500, while more than 92,000 were displaced, after striking Mamuju and Majene districts in West Sulawesi province.