Indonesia’s Bali Island Hit By Quake

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

BALI (Worthy News) – Indonesia’s tropical island of Bali, an essential host for Group of 20 summits and events this year, was reeling Wednesday after a strong earthquake and two aftershocks hit the area.

“We trust in Psalm 91,” said a Christian who had just left the area before the quake struck. She recalled that the Psalm says among other remarks: “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

She added: “My friends are okay now; we thank the Lord for that.”

The US Geological Survey said the magnitude 4.9 quake was centered 35 kilometers (22 miles) north of Amlapura, a city in Bali’s Karangasem district.

Its shallow depth of 9.6 kilometers (6 miles) may have caused people to run outside. Many residents and tourists rushed out of their homes and hotels toward higher ground, Worthy News monitored.

However, the situation returned to normal after receiving text messages saying the quake could not trigger a tsunami.

Yet the quake underscored broader concerns in Indonesia as the world’s largest Muslim nation is a vast archipelago of 270 million people and is frequently struck by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis.

MANY KILLED

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake on November 21 killed at least 331 people and injured nearly 600 in West Java’s Cianjur city.

It was the deadliest in Indonesia since a 2018 quake and tsunami in Sulawesi, killing about 4,340 people.

The quakes have been linked to Indonesia’s location on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines that arcs the Pacific.

Last year, an earthquake of a similar magnitude in the hilly Karangasem triggered landslides and cut off at least three villages, killing at least three people.

It was not immediately clear what impact the latest quake would have on G20 events. Bali recently hosted the G20 summit of leaders of all the 20 member states and the European Union.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin did not attend, while Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the meeting via video link as “G19,” not recognizing Russia. Both nations have been fighting a bitter war since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.

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