Bali was shaken this morning when an earthquake struck the Indonesian resort island.
According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), a 5.5-magnitude earthquake struck the coast of Bali at about 7:10am (local Bali time), 2km northeast of Banjar Pasekan, with a depth of 118.4km.
M5.6 #earthquake (#gempa) strikes 26 km S of #Denpasar (#Indonesia) 9 min ago. Effects reported by witnesses: pic.twitter.com/S0pNHTWile
— EMSC (@LastQuake) March 21, 2017
Indonesia’s Meteorological, Climatological and Geophysical Agency, on the other hand, pegged the earthquake at 6.4 magnitude and said the epicentre of the quake was about 23km from the city’s capital of Denpasar.
It didn’t trigger any tsunami alarms but the quake was reportedly felt by inhabitants on and around the island. Residents are said to have leapt from their beds and ran into the streets for safety while witnesses reported that they felt a strong shake that lasted for about 20 seconds.
One of Bali’s most beautiful temples, ancient Hindu temple complex Kehen Templein Bangli, suffered minor damage from the quake as part of the temple’s gate collapsed.
Damage to the gate of Kehan Temple, Bangli by this mornings's 6.4 magnitude earthquake in Bali #bali #earthquake #gempa pic.twitter.com/2sUstw9W98
— Cindy Wockner (@CindyWockner) March 21, 2017
Indonesia is part of the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, a major area in the basin of the Pacific Ocean where a large number of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur. About 90% of the world’s earthquakes and 81% of the world’s largest earthquakes occur along the horseshoe-shaped ring.
Meanwhile, tourists have taken to social media to update their followers post-quake:
Massive earthquake in Bali. Threw me out of bed
— Bali Eric (@itsmarcroberts) March 21, 2017
Woke up to our entire room shaking in Bali, 6.4 magnitude earthquake. Holy moly very scary – 🙁
— Dena Amy (@DenaAmyKaplan) March 21, 2017
Leapt out of bed this morning as a 6.4 r #earthquake 23km off the coast shook #Bali .. sheltered under #big teak table 5 mins #safetyfirst pic.twitter.com/KntzOELYBr
— Emily Readett-Bayley (@EmilyReadettB) March 21, 2017
Woke up this morning to the bed & our beach hut shaking from an #earthquake! On Gili Air now – epicenter was apparently southern tip #Bali.
— Esme Fox (@EsmeFox) March 22, 2017
As at time of writing, there are no immediate reports of casualties or fatalities. More information to come.
Sources: CNA, BMKG, news.com.au.
