Shallow Magnitude 4.2 Earthquake in Sukabumi Sparks Panic Among Cianjur Residents
A number of residents in Cianjur District, West Java, were startled by a significant earthquake tremor in the early hours of Sunday, 15 March. Residents hastily evacuated their homes out of concern over potential aftershocks.
Based on available information, the earthquake occurred at approximately 00:36 Western Indonesian Time. According to data from the Indonesian Meteorological, Climatological, and Geophysical Agency (BMKG), the earthquake registered a magnitude of 4.2.
The epicentre of the tectonic earthquake was located at coordinates 6.97°S and 106.98°E, or on land approximately 8 kilometres south-east of Sukabumi City at a depth of 5 kilometres.
“When the earthquake struck, I hadn’t gone to bed yet and was still on my phone. As I sat in a chair, I felt it swaying. The tremor was quite strong. I immediately ran outside,” said Beni Ramadhani, a resident of Jalan Siliwangi, Pamoyanan District, Cianjur, on Sunday, 15 March.
He reported remaining outside for quite some time, noting that significant tremors had also occurred several days earlier. “There have been two quite strong earthquakes this week,” he noted.
Beni observed that Cianjur residents are understandably still traumatised by earthquakes, no matter how minor, following a devastating quake that struck the district four years ago. “It’s certainly traumatic for us. That’s why whenever I feel any earthquake tremor, I become paranoid,” he concluded.
Daeng Sutisna, Manager of the Sukabumi District Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) Operations Centre, stated that the magnitude 4.2 tremor was indeed quite significant in several areas. However, no structural damage had been reported to date as a result of the earthquake.
“To date, there have been no reports of building damage resulting from the earthquake,” Daeng said.
In Sukabumi City as well, the fairly strong earthquake tremor prompted the local BPBD to conduct monitoring of the area. However, no damage reports have been received.
“No reports so far, but we continue to monitor developments in the field,” said Yoseph Sabaruddin, Head of Operations of Sukabumi City BPBD.