4.9 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Indonesia's Bandung Regency, Damage Reported

By Mohd Iswandi Kasan Anuar

JAKARTA, Sept 18 (Bernama) -- A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck Bandung regency, West Java province, at 9.41 am local time on Wednesday, causing damage to several houses and public facilities, including healthcare centres, places of worship, and police stations.

The tremor, which lasted between three and five seconds, was felt across multiple areas, including the City of Bandung, causing significant panic among residents.

Fortunately, there have been no major reports of casualties, according to Abdul Muhari, spokesperson for Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) in a statement.

Preliminary reports from the West Java Provincial Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) indicate that some houses in Pangalengan and Kertasari suffered structural damage, including collapsed walls and ceilings.

“The BPBD Quick Reaction Team and various other agencies have been deployed to the affected areas for rapid assessment and monitoring, focusing on efforts to rescue impacted residents,” Abdul Muhari stated.

In related news, the Whoosh high-speed train service between Jakarta and Bandung has been suspended until 2 pm local time. PT KCIC, the operator, has apologised for the cancellation of several journeys due to the earthquake.

“Inspections will take approximately four hours to ensure no external factors are disrupting the high-speed train line, such as rockslides, landslides, or other natural impacts,” its Corporate Secretary general manager Eva Chairunisa said.

The country’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) reports that the earthquake’s epicentre was located at 7.23° S; 107.65° E, approximately 25 kilometres southeast of Bandung regency and at a depth of 10 kilometres.

-- BERNAMA