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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Odisha: Expelled Congress leader Mohammed Moquim announces new party, to be launched on Apr 8
Bhubaneswar (PTI): Former MLA Mohammed Moquim announced that his new party will be named 'Odisha Janata Congress', and it will be formally launched on April 8.
He was expelled from the Congress in December last year after questioning party president Mallikarjun Kharge's leadership because of his age.
Moquium, who represented the Cuttack-Barabati assembly segment, said he decided to launch the new party after receiving a "positive response" from people to fight corruption.
"Both the BJD and Congress have lost their relevance, which is evident from their newfound bonhomie during the Rajya Sabha polls. Though the BJD ruled the state for 24 years, it has done nothing substantial for youths," he claimed.
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Moquim said the new party's flag is almost ready, with three colours.
"We are working on the symbol, and I have applied for the party's registration with the Election Commission," he said.
"People from across the state would join the programme at the Exhibition Ground in Bhubaneswar, from where the new party would be launched. It will be a youth-centric party," he added.
After his expulsion from the Congress, Moquim held a youth convention in Bhubaneswar. It was attended by his daughter, Sofia Firdous, who is the incumbent Congress MLA from Cuttack-Barabati.
