6.1-magnitude quake hits Bali resort island

Jakarta (VNA) – An undersea earthquake with a magnitude of 6.1 struck south of Indonesia’s Bali resort island on July 16, according to the European earthquake monitoring agency (EMSC).

The epicentre was 102 kilometres southwest of the island’s capital, Denpasar, and was 100 kilometres deep. The quake caused some residents and visitors on the tourist island to briefly rush out of buildings.

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties from the quake, and there was no tsunami warning issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre.

This is the second quake in the country in the past three days. Earlier, a 7.3-magnitude earthquake hit the eastern region of Indonesia on July 14. The quake occurred at a depth of 10 kilometres, and was 168 kilometres south-southeast of Ternate in North Maluku province. Casualties were reported while many infrastructures were damaged during the quake.

Indonesia suffers frequent earthquakes, sometimes causing tsunamis, because it lies on the seismically active Pacific Ring of Fire.

In the previous year, a 7.5-magnitude quake and a subsequent tsunami in Palu on Sulawesi island killed more than 2,200 with a thousand more declared missing.  On December 26, 2004, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake struck Aceh province, causing a tsunami and killing more than 170,000.

In 2018, a total 11,577 earthquakes struck the country, many of which resulted in casualties. –VNA