A magnitude 6.4 earthquake that violently shook the Pacitan Regency region early Friday morning has tragically claimed one life. The powerful tremor, which struck on February 6, resulted in the death of a local resident.
Radite Suryo Anggono, Head of Emergency and Logistics for the Pacitan Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), identified the deceased as Joko Santoso, 53, a resident of Tanjungpuro Village in the Ngadirojo District. “Following the early morning earthquake, one resident has been confirmed deceased,” Radite stated when contacted for confirmation.
Crucially, initial assessments by field officers revealed that the victim did not succumb to falling debris or structural collapse. Instead, Joko Santoso is suspected to have died from shock following the seismic event. According to Radite, the victim had managed to exit his home to seek safety as the ground shook and even had a brief conversation with his neighbors. However, as he was about to re-enter his house, he suddenly collapsed.
Despite being rushed to the hospital, he could not be saved. “The victim was taken to the hospital but could not be helped. The preliminary cause of death is suspected to be shock,” Radite added, painting a poignant picture of the immediate aftermath.
Beyond this tragic loss of life, the BPBD Pacitan has also received multiple reports detailing damage to buildings across several areas within the regency. As of Friday afternoon, emergency teams continued their comprehensive data collection and monitoring efforts to assess the full extent of the earthquake’s impact across all districts.
The powerful magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck precisely at 01:06 AM Western Indonesia Time (WIB) on Friday. The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) pinpointed the epicenter at coordinates 8.99 degrees South Latitude and 111.18 degrees East Longitude, approximately 90 kilometers southeast of Pacitan, at a relatively shallow depth of 10 kilometers. Fortunately, the BMKG confirmed that this seismic event bore no potential for a tsunami, providing a measure of relief amid the distress.
In the wake of the tremors, BPBD has issued an urgent appeal to residents to remain calm, heighten their vigilance for potential aftershocks, and promptly report any building damage that could pose a safety risk to local authorities.
Summary
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck Pacitan early Friday morning, February 6, tragically claiming one life. The victim, 53-year-old Joko Santoso, is suspected to have died from shock following the tremor, rather than from structural collapse or debris. He had exited his home and spoken with neighbors before collapsing as he attempted to re-enter.
The Pacitan Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) has received numerous reports of building damage and continues to assess the full impact across the regency. The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) confirmed the earthquake, located 90 km southeast of Pacitan at a depth of 10 km, had no potential for a tsunami. Residents are urged to remain calm, be vigilant for aftershocks, and report any building damage.