Moderate earthquake rocks Bali, killing at least 3
Denpasar (Indonesia)(AP): Three people were killed and another seven were injured when a moderately strong earthquake and an aftershock hit Indonesia's resort island of Bali early Saturday.
The quake hit just before dawn, causing people to run outdoors in a panic. It struck just as the island is beginning to reopen to tourism as the pandemic wanes.
The US Geological Survey said the magnitude 4.8 quake was centred 62 km (38.5 miles) northeast of Singaraja, a Bali port town. Its shallow depth of 10 km (6.2 miles) may have amplified the amount of damage.
A magnitude 4.3 aftershock followed. That quake was relatively deep, at 282 km (174 miles).
Gede Darmada, head of the island's Search and Rescue Agency, said the agency was still collecting updates on damage and casualties.
He said the injuries included broken bones and head wounds.
The earthquake triggered landslides in a hilly district, killing at least two people and cutting off access to at least three villages, Darmada said.
It toppled homes and temples in Karangasem, the area closest to the epicenter, killing a 3-year-old girl who was hit by falling debris, he said.
Houses and government facilities were damaged in Trunyan and in Kintamani villages, a popular sightseeing destination with a stunning lake.
Known as the island of the gods, Bali is home to more than 4 million mostly Hindu people in the mainly Muslim nation. It is famed for its temples, scenic volcanos and beautiful white-sand beaches.
On Thursday the island reopened to international travellers for the first time in more than a year after Indonesia's COVID-19 caseload declined considerably.
The country has had around 1,000 cases a day in the past week after peaking at around 56,000 daily new cases in July.
Indonesia, a vast archipelago of 270 million people, is frequently struck by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis because of its location on the Ring of Fire, an arc of volcanoes and fault lines that arcs the Pacific.
The last major earthquake was in January when a magnitude 6.2 earthquake killed at least 105 people and injured nearly 6,500. More than 92,000 people were displaced after it struck Mamuju and Majene districts in West Sulawesi province.
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Metro services begin in Bhopal; excited residents flock to take rides, selfies
Bhopal (PTI): On the first day of the commercial run of the Metro services in Bhopal on Sunday, hundreds of residents enthusiastically took rides, expressing confidence that it will save time and provide relief from traffic jams.
An official said that the Metro’s first service began at 9 am from the AIIMS station, and by 6 pm, 5,731 people had travelled on the new mass-transit corridor.
He said that people, along with their family members, had been lining up for tickets since early morning. Several users were seen taking selfies and photos inside the Metro rakes and at stations.
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Earlier on Saturday, Union minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav inaugurated the Metro service by flagging off a train from Subhash Nagar station on a 7.5-kilometre stretch, called the “Priority Corridor”.
With this, Bhopal became the 26th city in the country and the second city in Madhya Pradesh, after Indore, to have the Metro service.
Rao Singh, who took a Metro ride, told PTI Videos that besides saving time and money, the new mode of transport will provide relief from traffic jams and pollution.
Another passenger, who identified himself as Chetan, said he was happy that Bhopal is now on the “Metro list”.
Office-goers will benefit a lot due to the Metro service, said a young man named Akshay.
While the estimated cost of the 30.8-km-long Bhopal Metro project is Rs 10,033 crore, a sum of Rs 2,225 crore was spent on the ‘Priority Corridor’, according to officials.
