BNPB: Bitung and Kaimana situation stable after shallow earthquakes

The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) confirmed that the situation in Bitung City, North Sulawesi, and Kaimana Regency, West Papua, remains stable with no reported damage following the shallow earthquakes that struck both regions.

BNPB’s Head of Data, Information, and Disaster Communication Centre, Abdul Muhari, stated in a Jakarta briefing on Tuesday that there have been no reports of casualties or material damage from the two earthquakes, both measuring above magnitude 5.0.

The first earthquake, with a magnitude of 5.7, struck Bitung City in North Sulawesi Province at 03:39 WIB on Tuesday morning, with its epicentre located at sea 22 kilometres deep.

Residents in Minahasa Regency also felt the tremors, which did not pose a tsunami risk, for approximately two to three seconds.

Meanwhile, the second earthquake, measuring 5.1 magnitude, was felt in Kaimana Regency, West Papua, for about 10 seconds at 05:03 WIB.

The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency (BMKG) reported the quakes were shallow, resulting from activity along the Tarera-Aiduna Fault. The epicentre was 50 kilometres southeast of Kaimana at a depth of 24 kilometres, with coordinates 4.01°S and 134.00°E.