BMKG: Kendari City Struck by Inland Earthquake on Friday Night

The epicentre was located on land 22 kilometres east of North Konawe at a depth of 4 kilometres. The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) detected a magnitude 4.5 tectonic earthquake that struck the land area of Kendari City, Southeast Sulawesi, on Friday night. Head of BMKG Regional Office IV, Nasrol Adil, stated in a Jakarta briefing on Friday that the earthquake was shallow. ‘BMKG analysis shows this earthquake has a magnitude of 4.5. The epicentre is precisely located on land 22 kilometres east of North Konawe at a depth of 4 kilometres,’ he said. Nasrol explained that the active Kendari Central Fault, situated at very shallow depths, triggered seismic waves felt strongly on the ground by residents in several regencies. Based on shaking map estimates and community reports, the earthquake’s effects extended to North Konawe, Konawe, and South Konawe regencies. The highest intensity recorded was III-IV MMI in Kendari City and North Konawe, meaning the shaking was felt noticeably by many indoors, causing windows to rattle and walls to sound as if heavy trucks were passing. BMKG confirmed no reports of building damage as of now. As a precaution, BMKG has intensified monitoring, detecting three aftershocks by 22:00 WIB, with parameters gradually decreasing.