UPDATED: Minor damage to schools, temples after 5.8 quake strikes off Bali’s coast

Did you feel the earthquake this morning? Bali was hit with a 5.8-magnitude quake that struck the southwest of the island, with tremors felt in Badung regency and even parts of West Nusa Tenggara, as well as Banyuwangi and Jember in East Java. 

Indonesia’s Meteorological, Climatological and Geophysical Agency (BMKG) said that the quake’s epicenter was 83 kilometers southwest of the island, hitting at a depth of 68 kilometers at 8:18am. The agency first announced that the earthquake had a magnitude of 6.0, but later revised it to 5.8.

Thankfully, no tsunami warning was issued and there hasn’t been any reports of major damage or injuries, though some buildings did appear to sustain minor damage as a result of the earthquake. As reported by BMKG, this includes several schools, Pura Loka Natha in Denpasar and the gapura (traditional Balinese gates) entrance in ITDC Nusa Dua. 

“We have received reports of damage such as fallen roof tiles and broken glass in several houses and offices,” BMKG said. 

Photos of the damage have also been shared around social media, displaying the extent of the damage from the quake. 

Dampak gempa di Nusa Dua pic.twitter.com/uUjxbE4IJj

— BNPB Indonesia (@BNPB_Indonesia) July 16, 2019

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Selasa (16/7) pagi, kejadian gempa bumi yang baru saja terjadi mengakibatkan kerusakan di Pura Lokanatha Taman Kota Lumintang Denpasar. Semoga kejadian tersebut tidak menelan korban, dumogi sami rahayu 🙏 • Info via @hendargus @joyful.denpasar #denpasarviral #dpsviralterkini #denpasar #bali

A post shared by MEDIA INFORMASI SEPUTAR BALI (@denpasar.viral) on Jul 15, 2019 at 5:56pm PDT

Bali earthquake also damaged primary school near Uluwatu. Some schools have sent students home for the day. pic.twitter.com/KwaxBZ3xza

— Renae Henry (@renaehenry9) July 16, 2019

The earthquake was followed by several aftershocks ranging between 2.4 and 3.2 in magnitude. 

“BMKG’s monitoring showed there were nine aftershocks [until 11am], with the highest magnitude of 3.2 and the lowest magnitude being 2.4,” BMKG said in a tweet. 

The agency added that the earthquake resulted from the subduction activity of the Indo-Australian plate diving under the Eurasian plate. 

Hingga pukul 10.00 WIB, Hasil monitoring BMKG menunjukkan 9 kali aktivitas gempabumi susulan (aftershock) dengan magnitude terbesar M=3.2 dan magnitude terkecil M=2.4

— BMKG (@infoBMKG) July 16, 2019

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) also reported that tremors were felt in Karangasem regency on the eastern part of the island, though there are no immediate reports of damage in the area. 

NOTE: This story has been updated to include BMKG’s revision of the magnitude of the earthquake’s that struck off the coast of Bali on July 16.