Bali Registers 6.1 Magnitude Earthquake

(Dive Travel Business News - October 13, 2011) -- A 6.1 magnitude earthquake shook the island dive destination of Bali at 10:16 am Central Indonesia time on Thursday, October 13. The quake caused no deaths and only minor injuries to about 50 people, in part because of the better development standards the tourist industry has pushed, say observers.

The US Geological Survey reported that the quake’s center lay 62 miles south of Denpasar in Southern Bali, and 21 miles beneath the ocean floor and it did not have the potential to trigger a tsunami. Although powerful enough to shake ceiling tiles loose and crumble the walls of Hindu temples, the jolt did not trigger a tsunami warning.  But the quake was felt in East Java to Bali’s west, from Banyuwangi to Surabaya and to its east to the island of Lombok.

According to Antara news, the Denpasar city's Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) said 19 buildings were damaged. The 19 buildings consist of 8 schools, 6 houses, a monument, a hospital, a museum, the Denpasar Regional Representatives Council office, and a firefighters' office.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced that there were no disruptions in flights at Bali’s Ngurah Rai International airport.

Indonesian government officials have criticized regional governments for their lack of preparedness for natural disasters. According to a 2007 law, all of Indonesia’s 33 provinces are required to establish a local disaster management agency, but only around 20 percent of the the provincial governments have complied. Bali is one.

Still, after two separate disasters – a tsunami and volcanic eruption – struck Indonesia in October 2010, killing more than 700 people, the National Disaster Management Agency said Indonesia was still not well prepared. Indonesia sits amid a series of fault lines that are prone to frequent seismic activity.

Today's temblor came a day after countries around the Indian Ocean tested a new UN-backed regional tsunami warning system, which was developed after the devastating 2004 tsunami that killed 230,000 people. The emergency response test included evacuation drills in India and Malaysia. 

Bali Hotels Association, a professional group of over 100 star-rated hotels and resorts in Bali representing more than 15,000 hotel rooms, continues to closely monitor the situation and proactively inform its members and associates about new developments in order to ensure the safety of its guests and employees. BHA member hotels have access to a wide range of resources, ongoing training and expert advice, and the association’s tsunami preparedness initiatives have won worldwide recognition including from the United Nations.

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