“There was only one quake with a strength stronger or equal to magnitude 5,” said Head of BMKG Region III Denpasar, Cahyo Nugoroho, in Denpasar on Sunday.
According to him, the number of earthquakes shocking Bali this year was dominated by tremors with a strength below magnitude 3, which accounts for 271 quakes, adding that those with a magnitude of 3 and above (below 5) occurred 52 times.
In terms of depth, he continued, Bali’s earthquakes in 2023 were dominated by shallow ones that occurred at depths of less than 60 kilometers.
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He then informed that a total of 5,500 earthquakes occurred this year in the entire region III that encompasses Bali, East Java, and East Nusa Tenggara, with 21 of them shocking with magnitudes of 5 and above.
“Until now, earthquakes still constitute an unpredictable phenomenon. Hence, it is necessary to disseminate relevant information and conduct simulations to deal with earthquakes and tsunamis in the hopes of suppressing losses and casualties,” he noted.
In an effort to prevent casualties during natural disasters, he said, the BMKG has been intensively working together with local disaster mitigation agencies to conduct various activities aimed at forging communities that are prepared and responsive to disasters, especially earthquakes and tsunami.
The activities include visiting schools and conducting disaster preparedness training for those running business in the tourism sector, he pointed out.
He then appealed to people to take proactive measures, including by building earthquake-resistant buildings, to minimize damage dealt and the number of casualties.
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