Maluku Province in Indonesia rocked by the earthquake about 7.3 Scale Richter on Sunday, July 14 in the afternoon. The official stated at least 2 people have died, hundreds of houses were destroyed and more than 2000 people have to be evacuated in temporary shelter.
Comprehensive media, Sciences et Avenir and Associated Press (AP) reported the earthquake occurred at 6pm (local time) on July 14. The epicenter is located about 165 kilometers of southeast Ternate, and the depth is about 10 kilometers. Many residents were frightened, and they went to the high places for the evacuation.
Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management (BNPB) spokesperson Agus Wibowo said that two person were struck down and died.
Due the aftershocks, thousands of frightened residents temporarily evacuate in nearby schools or public buildings, dare not to go back home. According to the Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency (BMKG), at least 65 aftershocks measured after the strong earthquake.
In recent weeks, there have been many earthquakes in Maluku. Last week, there was a 6.3 Richter scale earthquake. At the end of June, there was a 7.3 Richter scale earthquake, fortunately, there was no serious harm damage have been reported. In 2018, there was a 7.5 Richter scale earthquake in Sulawesi. It triggered the tsunami, causing more than 2.200 people died and thousands of people were missing.
Indonesia, an archipelago with over 17.000 islands is located in Pacific Plate, in the junction of Eurasia Plate and India-Australia Plate. It makes the volcanoes spread and the earthquakes frequently happen.
