Everything About the Bali Earthquake That Caused a Brief Panic This Morning (16 July)

Very often, it takes news like this to make us realise that despite several Singapore’s shortcomings, we’ve often neglected the fact that our country is free of natural disasters that take away lives and properties without warning.

Just this morning, an underwater earthquake hit Indonesia’s Bali, and it caused a brief panic that could even be felt here in Singapore as Bali is one of Singaporean’s favourite holiday destinations.

Here’s what happened.

Underwater Earthquake with a Magnitude of 6.1

This morning at about 8:18 a.m., buildings in the southwest of Bali shook. Taking place in the capital, Denpasar, people were seen running out of their hotels and homes, some even in pyjamas, after the quake was felt.

Denpasar is a tourist’s hotspot and is well-known for its white sandy beaches and its Instagram-worthy resorts.

@akaqakahuripan Gempa pagi ini..#nusadua #bali #earthquake pic.twitter.com/G166pb0CBn

— Mtgs 🌏 Indonesia (@Jogja_Uncover) July 16, 2019

It turns out that it’s an undersea earthquake nearby, in which an earthquake occurred at the bottom of the sea. While there won’t be any immediate danger, it might lead to tsunamis.

According to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), the earthquake occurred about 102 km away from Denpasar and was 100 km deep.

But despite that, there was no reports of casualties or damage, and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not issue any tsunami warning.

In other words, the panic was just that: panic.

However, there were still minor damages to buildings.

So if you’ve a friend or family member in Bali, you won’t need to worry much: everything’s now back to normal.

This is the second earthquake that has struck the nation in three days: on Sunday, a 7.3-magnitude earthquake hit Indonesia’s Maluku islands (that is pretty far from Singapore) and killed 2 people while displacing about 2,000 people.

So in the meantime, stop complaining about Singapore’s weather. It might be hot but you won’t need to run out of your house when you’re sleeping.