The ruinous scene in Central Sulawesi of Indonesia after the September disasters (Source: Xinhua/VNA) Jakarta (VNA) – The Indonesian government has affirmed that it is ensuring security and safety for delegates and participants of the ongoing 2018 International Monetary Fund (IMF)-World Bank (WB) Group Annual Meetings in Nusa Dua, Bali, following a 6.4-magnitude earthquake that struck in East Java early on October 11, heard a press conference later the same day.
CEO of the IMF-WB meeting Susiwijono stressed that the government had anticipatory measures in place for managing natural disasters in coordination with relevant institutions like the Bali Police and the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).
The government had also run evacuation drills with the hotels where delegates are staying.
He added that relevant agencies are able to anticipate natural disasters and have prepared measures to assure the safety of delegates.
No significant impact from the earthquake was visible across the meetings’ multiple venues in Nusa Dua, and the early warning system had not detected any potential tsunamis, he noted.
The government, along with the IMF, had also held meetings with the hotels’ management teams on evacuation plans and readied a variety of measures and facilities in the event of a natural disaster, Susiwijono explained.
He also underlined that no delegates had cancelled their plans following the earthquake in East Java.
On early October 11, the earthquake struck in the Indonesian island of Java, 158km north western of Nusa Dua, killing three people, damaging many buildings and causing panic among residents after the recent surge of devastation in the nation.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake shook buildings on the resort island Bali, where the annual meetings of the IMF and WB are taking place. However, local authorities affirmed that the quake had not caused any disruption to the meetings.
Previously, Indonesia’s Central Sulawesi was ravaged by two 6.1- and 7.5-magnitude quakes on September 28. A tsunami rose up after the second quake hit the area in the afternoon of the same day.
The earthquakes and tsunami killed at least 2,045 people and injured 10,679 others. As many as 671 people are still missing.
Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire and is regularly hit by earthquakes. In 2004, a large earthquake off the northern Indonesian island of Sumatra triggered a tsunami across the Indian Ocean, killing 220,000 people in 13 countries, including more than 168,000 in Indonesia. –VNA
VNA
