At least 20 people were killed after a 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck the Maluku Islands in Indonesia’s east on Thursday morning, the country’s National disaster mitigation spokesman Agus Wibowo said.
“The total number of people who died in the earthquake is 20,” Wibowo said in statement.
“At least 100 people were injured and more than 2,000 evacuated,” he added.
The earthquake triggered landslides in the affected circumference, which in turn destroyed buildings.
According to the head of the earthquake and tsunami division at Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency (BMKG), Rahmat Triyono, the impact of the earthquake was felt across Ambon city and its surrounding areas.
BMKG said the location along the inland earthquake did not have the potential to cause a tsunami.
The epicenter of the quake was 37 kilometers northeast of Ambon at a depth of around 29 kilometers, according to the US Geological Survey.
Malaku is one of Indonesia’s least populous provinces, with a population of about 1.7 million.
The southeast Asian country is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions due to its location along the “Ring of Fire,” the string of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean.
