TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Emergence of thousands of earthworms in Lombok sign of weather changes, not earthquake: BMKG
A video posted on Facebook by a resident of North Batukliang district has sparked worries that earthworms are an early indicator of an earthquake.
Change Size
A video posted on Facebook by a resident of North Batukliang district has sparked worries that earthworms are an early indicator of an earthquake. (Shutterstock/Nikolay Antonov)
A
viral video depicting thousands of earthworms suddenly emerging from the ground in Central Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, is not a sign of an imminent earthquake, a Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) official has said.
The video, first posted on Facebook by a resident of North Batukliang district, has sparked worries that the earthworms are an early indicator of an earthquake.
West Nusa Tenggara was hit by a series of major earthquakes between July and August 2018, resulting in hundreds of deaths and tens of thousands of damaged buildings. The province is still recovering from the aftermath of the quake.
North Batukliang Police chief First Insp. Komang Ronaka confirmed that the incident in the video did indeed take place. “The event took place in Bagek Nunggal village,” Komang said on Wednesday as quoted by kompas.com.
Mataram Geophysics Station head Ardhianto Septiadhi, however, denied that the incident signaled a possible earthquake
“It was not accompanied by other precursors of earthquakes such as barking dogs, fish jumping in ponds and snakes coming out,” he said.
He said the sudden appearance of the worms was related to sudden changes in weather and climate.
Nevertheless, Ardhianto asked the public to remain vigilant as Lombok was a quake-prone area. (aly)
