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Fresh quake jolts Muko-Muko
A magnitude 5
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magnitude 5.6 earthquake hit Muko-Muko regency in Bengkulu on Saturday, but no casualties or damage were reported.The local Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said the epicenter of the earthquake, which occurred at 9:45 a.m., was located at a depth of 10 kilometers, 44 kilometers southwest of Muko-Muko and 74 kilometers northeast of South Pagai Island in Mentawai.Ricky, a resident of Penarik district in Muko-Muko, said the tremors were strong and lasted a long time. “It was not as strong as the magnitude 6 earthquake that hit on Thursday, but the tremors were longer, so we all fled our houses,” he said.The quake was felt as far away as Padang, the capital of West Sumatra, but not in South Pagai Island.Muko-Muko was also hit by three earthquakes earlier — a magnitude 4.9 quake at 9: 35 p.m. on Wednesday, a magnitude 6 quake at 7:16 a.m. Thursday and a magnitude 4.9 quake later the same day at 11:34 p.m., the BMKG said.Meanwhile, Warsono from the Bukittinggi Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Agency said Saturday that volcanic activity at the 2,900-meter-high Mount Marapi in West Sumatra remained high.“Volcanic activity at Mt. Marapi remains high even though seismic activity has decreased,” he said.The volcano erupted at 8:09 a.m., spewing thick ash clouds 300 meters into the air. Agam Regent Indra Chatri filmed the eruption from Candung, not far from Bukittinggi, and posted it on the Internet.The head of the Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center, Surono said in Jakarta on Saturday that officials had increased the alert for Mt. Marapi and 15 other volcanoes across Indonesia.Other volcanoes include Mt. Papandayan in West Java, Mt. Merapi in Central Java, Mt. Sinabung in North Sumatra, Mt. Krakatau in the Sunda Strait, Mt. Bromo in East Java and Mt. Gamkonora, Mt. Gamalama and Mt. Tukono in Maluku, he said.Jambi volcanologist Heri Prasetyo said Mt. Kerinci was still on heightened alert. “However, residents living on the slopes of the mountain have not been instructed to evacuate,” he said.
