BPBD Cianjur Conducts Damage Assessment Following Sukabumi Earthquake

Cianjur — The Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of Cianjur Regency, West Java, is continuing to collect data on damage caused by a magnitude 5.4 earthquake centred in Sukabumi Regency, but which was felt quite strongly across most of Cianjur regency on Friday.

According to Asep Sudarajat, Secretary of BPBD Cianjur, the earthquake occurred at 02:18 local time and was centred at coordinates 8.04 degrees south latitude and 106.86 degrees east longitude, approximately 121 kilometres south-east of Sukabumi Regency, based on information from the Meteorological, Climatological, and Geophysical Agency (BMKG).

Residents across much of Cianjur, from the city centre to the southern regions, rushed out of their homes and many remained outside until just before dawn due to fears of aftershocks. “The epicentre was located at a depth of 53 kilometres below sea level, but was felt quite strongly, particularly in the southern and urban areas of Cianjur just before dawn,” Sudarajat said.

According to him, preliminary reports indicate no damage caused by the earthquake so far, but the agency has already requested officers and volunteers to conduct assessments in their respective working areas to ensure the situation is monitored following the tremor.

The agency urged residents to remain vigilant and not to panic, and to immediately leave their homes when feeling an earthquake in order to avoid potential harm. “Be vigilant but do not panic—seek a safe place immediately when you feel an earthquake,” he said.

Meanwhile, residents in the Cianjur area said they were initially panicked due to feeling the rather strong earthquake just before dawn, prompting them and their family members to rush out of their homes to avoid potential danger.

Similar experiences were reported by residents in the southern areas, specifically in Sindangbarang District, where residents who had just woken up to prepare for the dawn meal (sahur) felt a fairly strong tremor and immediately evacuated their homes.