A strong 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck near Java Island in Indonesia on Friday, sending tremors throughout the region but causing little damage according to officials.
The shallow quake struck 132km north of Tuban in East Java province at around 10am local time. Residents in major cities like Surabaya, the capital of East Java, reported feeling violent shaking that lasted several seconds.
Indonesia's meteorology and geophysics agency (BMKG) said the natural disaster occurred at a depth of just 10km below ground, causing the shaking to feel more severe. However, they also confirmed there was no threat of a tsunami being triggered.
Thankfully initial assessments found no significant structural impacts from the quake. While it was certainly powerful enough to create alarm, the remote epicenter and lack of shallow fragile structures meant the quake did not turn destructive. BMKG also stated there have been no reports of injuries or loss of life at this stage.
With hundreds of small quakes occurring every year, Indonesia is situated within the seismically active ‘Pacific Ring of Fire' and is regularly impacted by tremors. However, robust building codes have helped the nation better withstand even sizable events in recent times without widespread damage. Residents will be grateful this particular quake did not escalate into a more damaging disaster.
