BMKG Sends Expert Team to Survey Earthquake Impact in North Maluku-North Sulawesi

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics (BMKG) has sent an expert team to the regions of North Maluku (Malut) and North Sulawesi (Sulut) to conduct a survey of the impacts from a 7.6-magnitude earthquake that occurred in the area on Thursday morning. Acting Director of the Earthquake and Tsunami Division at BMKG, Rahmat Triyono, stated during a press conference in Jakarta on Thursday that the team will, in the coming days, map the earthquake’s impacts, monitor aftershock activity, and assess potential hazards in the affected high-scale earthquake areas. “We are conducting a destructive earthquake survey there, including macroseismic and microseismic mapping,” he said. BMKG will also install portable seismograph equipment at several points in North Maluku and surrounding areas to strengthen seismic activity monitoring. Data from these micro-earthquakes is considered vital for analysing the duration and potential end of aftershocks. “Although they do not always have major impacts, these small earthquakes serve as important indicators in seismic activity analysis,” he added. Meanwhile, Acting Director of Technical Seismology - Geopotential at BMKG, Fakhri, reminded residents in the affected areas to heighten vigilance regarding building conditions. This is deemed crucial, as in North Maluku-North Sulawesi, up to 09:50 WIB, 48 aftershocks have been recorded, with the strongest at 5.5 magnitude. “Therefore, it is very necessary to check the condition of building structures, especially if there are cracks or signs of instability,” Fakhri said.