Moderate quake makes traumatized Yogyakarta Residents panic

Yogyakarta, NU Online
An earthquake measuring 3.1 on the Richter scale shook Yogyakarta special province at 2.32 a.m. Friday, making panic people ran out of their homes.

Epicenter of the one-minute tremor was traced at 7.94 degrees south latitude and 10.22 degrees east longitude and located 10 km beneath sea level, Yogyakarta meteorological and geophysics agency’s spokesperson Tiar Prasetyo said here Friday.<>

"The epicenter was in Opak-Oya fault that was almost similar to epicenter of a deadly tremblor which occurred on May 27 last year," Tiar said.

The epicenter of Friday’s earthquake, Tiar said, was located south of Bantul district which was heavily destroyed by the last year’s quake.

The Friday’s quake was felt at between II to III Modified Mercally Intensity (MMI) as well, Tiar said.

The quake was clearly felt in a zone of meteorological and geophysics agency in Gamping area which was located outside the Opak-Oya fault, the spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, Ainun, a resident in Dlingo subdistrict in Bantul said people in his village which could feel the early morning’s tremor ran out of their homes for fear of similar earthquake that devastated their homes last year. 

Most people in Yogyakarta are still traumatized by the last year?s quake which killed over 4,000 people and destroyed thousands of buildings and homes.

Tens of aftershocks have continued shaken Yogyakarta following the powerful quake last year.
 (ant/dar)