5.3-magnitude earthquake jolts Central Sulawesi's Parigi Moutong

Jakarta (ANTARA) - A 5.3-magnitude earthquake jolted Torue Sub-district in Parigi Moutong District, Central Sulawesi Province, on Sunday, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) reported that the epicenter of the quake that did not potentially trigger a tsunami was located around 41 km away from southeast of Palu, at a depth of 10 km.

The quake's tremor, at Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) scale III–IV, was felt by people living as far away as Parigi, Palu, and Poso. The tremor, at MMI scale IV–V, was felt by those in Sigi.

"Observing its epicenter and hypocentral depth, it is a shallow earthquake owing to the Palolo Graben zone's seismic activity," Head of the agency's Earthquake and Tsunami Center Daryono said.

The result of focal mechanism analysis revealed that this earthquake had "normal faults," while the update of the quake parameters was recorded at a magnitude of 5.2, he said.

As of 05:40 p.m. Jakarta time, the BMKG recorded 23 aftershocks, he said, adding that the tremor, at Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) scale III-IV,
was felt by people living as far away as Parigi, Palu, and Poso.

Daryono urged those in the quake-hit regions to stay calm and avoid misleading information, but they also needed to check the condition of their residential buildings to ensure the absence of serious damages.

Earthquakes frequently rock various parts of Indonesia since the country lies on the Circum-Pacific Belt, also known as the Ring of Fire, where several tectonic plates meet and cause frequent volcanic and seismic activities.

Deadly earthquakes have repeatedly hit Sulawesi Island. On September 28, 2018, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake hit several parts of Central Sulawesi Province.

The strong earthquake that was followed by a tsunami and soil liquefaction in Palu, the capital of Central Sulawesi Province, claimed 2,102 lives, injured 4,612, and rendered 680 others missing.

A total of 68,451 homes sustained serious damage, and 78,994 people were displaced.

The authorities and humanitarian workers decided to bury a large number of rotting corpses in mass graves.

Meanwhile, material losses inflicted by the twin deadly disasters were estimated to reach Rp15.29 trillion.

The provincial capital of Palu bore the brunt of the disaster, with material damage and losses recorded at Rp7.6 trillion, or 50 percent of the total estimate, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).

The material damage and losses in Sigi District were recorded at Rp4.9 trillion, or 32.1 percent; Donggala District at Rp2.1 trillion, or 13.8 percent; and Parigi Moutong District at Rp631 billion, or 4.1 percent.

Material damage in the four affected areas reached an estimated Rp13.27 trillion, while material losses were reportedly around Rp2.02 trillion, the agency stated in October 2018.