People stand on the roofing of collapsed shops in the port after a 5.2-magnitude earthquake in Jayapura. Photo: FAISAL NARWAWAN/AFP
Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency is reporting that four people have died in a 5.2 magnitude earthquake that jolted the largest city in Papua, Jayapura, on Thursday.
Chief executive of Jayapura's Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD), Asep Khalid, said the four victims were found in the debris of a cafeteria that collapsed in the earthquake.
The cafeteria was located above water, so the evacuation process was carried out by a team of diving experts, he said.
"The cafe collapsed due to the earthquake and we found four people in the debris. The building immediately fell into the sea," Khalid said in a statement.
When the earthquake, which was felt strongly for two to three seconds, struck, people panicked and ran out of their homes, Khalid said.
A number of buildings, including houses, public facilities, and health facilities, were damaged in the quake. Several patients at the Jayapura City Hospital were also evacuated to the courtyard of the building.
The news agency Antara said the BPBD team and the relevant agencies are still in the process of collecting data on damage and casualties.
The joint team has also set up tent posts and emergency tents for temporary evacuation.
"The quick reaction team (TRC) is monitoring the location. We also built tent posts and the rest of the Jayapura province BPBD team also helped (set up) tents at the hospital," Khalid said.
Based on the monitoring of the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), the earthquake, which was in the shallow category and occurred at 3:28 p.m. local time, was at a depth of 10km.
The epicenter of the earthquake was only 6km southeast of Jayapura city.
Based on the BMKG's data, the city and its surrounding areas have been rocked by earthquakes up to 1,055 times since January 2, 2023, with 120 earthquakes felt by the community.