Yesterday, Aceh experienced a 6.4-magnitude earthquake amid total lunar eclipse

Jakarta (ANTARA) – A number of humanitarian events occurred across the archipelago on Tuesday, 3 March. Among them, Aceh was rocked by a 6.4-magnitude earthquake, with tremors felt as far as Medan, and the BMKG said that NTB could provide photogenic moments during the total lunar eclipse on 3 March 2026. Here is the full digest of the latest news of continuing interest. Aceh rocked by a 6.4-magnitude earthquake, tremors felt as far as Medan The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) detected that the Sinabang area in Aceh was struck by a tectonic earthquake of magnitude 6.4 on Tuesday afternoon, with tremors felt across several areas in North Sumatra, including Medan. Interim Director of the BMKG’s Earthquakes and Tsunami Directorate Rahmat Triyono said in Jakarta on Tuesday that the quake originated at sea at a depth of 26 kilometres, about 69 kilometres southeast of Sinabang, Aceh. BMKG analysis shows the quake was a shallow event caused by the subduction of the Indo-Australian Plate beneath the Eurasian Plate, at 11:56:45 WIB. Kemendikdasmen gives special allowances to disaster-affected teachers Rp6 million The Ministry of Education, Basic and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen) has provided a special allowance for disaster-affected civil servant and non-civil servant teachers totalling Rp6 million, comprising Rp2 million per month for three months starting December 2025. The representative of the National Secretariat of the Disaster-Resilient Education Unit (SPAB) Kemendikdasmen Jamjam Muzaki said the allowance targets about 59,000 teachers, with distribution already more than 50 percent. “We estimate around 59,000; about 36,000 have already received it,” Jamjam said at a policy dialogue in Tangerang Selatan, Banten, on Tuesday. The lunar eclipse in Batam The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) via Hang Nadim Meteorological Station in Batam, Riau Islands (Kepri), said the total lunar eclipse could be observed by Batam residents from 18:33:39 WIB and would end entirely at 21:24 WIB. Head of Data and Information at BMKG Hang Nadim Batam, Suratman, explained that a total lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth and Moon are aligned, such that the Earth’s shadow completely covers the Moon. “If the sky is clear and not clouded, people can see the Moon redden at the peak of the eclipse,” he said. The eclipse in NTB and Batam The BMKG noted that the photogenic moment of the total lunar eclipse on 3 March 2026 can be witnessed by people in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB). Geophysics Station analyst Daffa Andhika Pramadhana said the Moon’s recent emergence makes tonight’s eclipse look particularly special. “The position of the eclipse remains quite low on the eastern horizon, so the moment is very beautiful to document,” he said in Mataram, NTB, on Tuesday.