Death toll of eastern Indonesia's earthquake rises to 6

Photo by Antara

JAKARTA -- The death toll of Sunday's 7.2-magnitude quake in eastern Indonesia has risen to six, with 51 others being injured, Agus Wibowo, spokesman of the National Disaster Management Authority (BNPB), said on Wednesday.

The quake struck off Indonesia's North Maluku province, with the epicenter located 62 km northeast of Labuha in the province and at the depth of 10 km, according to the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency (BMKG).

"Five of the casualties were hit by debris and falling blocks of concrete and another was an old person who died during escape," Wibowo told Xinhua via phone.

On Monday, BNPB reported that two people were killed by the natural disaster.

Wibowo said that nearly 1,000 houses were destroyed and almost 3,000 residents have been taking shelter in evacuation centers.

"Most of them stay in mosques, government office buildings and other buildings in several spots, but the disaster agency also sent tents for them," said Wibowo.

Indonesia is prone to earthquakes as it sits on a vulnerable quake-impacted zone dubbed the Pacific Ring of Fire.

In 2018, Indonesia was hit by a total of 11,577 earthquakes, including several of them that caused serious casualties, according to BMKG chief Dwikorita Karnawati.

Several of the earthquake-related events that occurred in Indonesia last year were never witnessed before, such as the liquefaction in Palu, a tsunami that struck before the issuance of a warning in Palu, and the Sunda Strait Tsunami, she pointed out. (Xinhua/Antara)