When Southern Java Was Rocked by a Devastating Earthquake, Temples Collapsed and Thousands Died

Indonesia is still mourning the earthquake disaster that struck the East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) region. Indonesia is recorded as one of the countries that frequently experiences major earthquakes. Even 150 years ago, a major earthquake also occurred and caused many casualties.

According to a report by de Locomotief (20 June 1867), an earthquake centred in Yogyakarta occurred on 10 June 1867. At that time, the tremors were felt as far as other cities such as Semarang, Surakarta, Madiun and Banyuwangi.

Werner Kraus, in his book Raden Saleh: Kehidupan dan Karyanya (2018), states that thousands of people died as a result of the earthquake. The victims were not only native Indonesians, but also several Dutch, Arab and Chinese residents.

In addition, many houses and buildings were reported destroyed. Several iconic Yogyakarta structures were also destroyed, namely Candi Sewu, Tugu Golong Gilig and Tugu Pal Putih.

The major earthquake left many residents feeling terrified. They were afraid to return to their homes because numerous aftershocks were still being felt.

A report from Java Bode (27 June 1867) noted that many of them held dhikr and communal prayers, asking God for safety.

A BMKG report states that the 1867 earthquake had a magnitude of 7.8 and occurred at around 04:20 local time. It was caused by intra-plate deformation within the Indo-Australian plate, centred in the Indian Ocean.

Hundreds of years after that event, precisely on 26 May 2006, Yogyakarta was again shaken by an earthquake. The disaster 20 years ago had a magnitude of 6.3 and killed 5,000 people.