Pacific Ring of Fire: Major earthquake near Solomon Islands

Status: 22.11.2022 4:15 a.m

There has been a severe earthquake near the Solomon Islands in the South Seas. The USA’s tsunami warning system triggered an alarm of a possible tidal wave. At least 162 people were killed in an earthquake in Indonesia on Monday.

A major earthquake has struck near the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific. The US earthquake station put the magnitude at 7.0, other measuring stations at 7.3. The tsunami warning system in the USA triggered an alarm of a possible tsunami within a radius of 300 kilometers.

The tremor occurred at noon (local time) near Malango in the province of Guadalcanal at a depth of around ten kilometers. The Solomon Islands are made up of hundreds of islands and lie east of New Guinea. As a reporter from the news agency AFP from the capital Honiara reported, the quake lasted about 20 seconds. The power went out in parts of the city, and people fled to higher-lying areas.

The Solomon Islands lie on the most geologically active zone on earth, the Pacific Ring of Fire.

Many dead in earthquake in Indonesia

At least 162 people were killed in a magnitude 5.6 earthquake and subsequent landslides on the Indonesian island of Java on Monday. According to the West Java governor, most of the victims were school children. Indonesia is also on the Pacific Ring of Fire.

At least 162 people die in earthquake in Indonesia

Ann-Britt Bakkenbüll, NDR, daily news at 8:00 p.m., November 21, 2022

Hundreds injured, thousands homeless

The authorities also said there were at least 326 injured and 13,000 people were currently homeless. They were taken to emergency shelters. According to civil protection, more than 2,200 houses were destroyed.

Municipal chief of the hardest-hit city of Cianjur, Herman Suherman, told a local TV station that some areas were inaccessible due to landslides. Many of the injured could not be treated because there were not enough staff available. The authorities also reported a breakdown in power supply and communications.

Many victims killed by debris

Dozens of buildings were said to have been damaged, including an Islamic boarding school and a hospital. Rescue workers treated the injured in front of large hospitals on terraces and parking lots. Rescue workers and civilians searched for people who might have been trapped under the rubble. Many of the victims were killed by parts of their collapsing houses, said the head of the national civil protection.

Epicenter was southwest of Cianjur

The earthquake happened on Monday afternoon (local time) near the capital Jakarta on the island of Java. The epicenter was a few kilometers southwest of Cianjur. This is also where the greatest damage occurred.

The earthquake was clearly felt in the capital Jakarta, a good 100 kilometers from the epicenter. High-rise buildings swayed, however, no major damage was reported in the metropolis.

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