BANTUL (DIY), media3.id – Coinciding with May 27, 20 years ago, at 5:54 WIB, the ground in the Special Region of Yogyakarta (DIY) suddenly moved.
The Yogyakarta BNPB recorded that 6,652 people died as a result of being hit by collapsed buildings, of which 5,338 were from the Special Region of Yogyakarta.
The remaining 1,314 fatalities came from Central Java. Eighty percent of these victims were residents of Bantul, Yogyakarta Special Region, and Klaten, Central Java. The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) recorded that the earthquake had a magnitude of 6.3, centered at 7.962 South Latitude and 110.43 East Longitude with a depth of only 10 km.
The areas that suffered the worst damage and losses were located along the Opak Fault. The Opak Fault is a longitudinal fault line that forms the Opak Valley. The 30-kilometer-long fault originates in Sanden, Bantul Regency, Yogyakarta Special Region, and ends in Tulung, Klaten Regency, Central Java Province.
Based on data from the National Coordination Agency (Bakornas), the total number of damaged buildings in Yogyakarta and Central Java reached hundreds of thousands of units. In detail, 127,879 units were severely damaged, 182,382 units were moderately damaged and 261,219 units were lightly damaged. Total material losses due to the Yogyakarta earthquake are estimated to reach IDR 29.1 trillion.
The Klaten BPBD Disaster Book published in 2014 states that 191,891 houses in Klaten were damaged, 1,064 people died, and 18,127 people were injured.
History records that in 1867 a major earthquake occurred which caused extensive damage to people’s homes, the Yogyakarta Palace buildings, and colonial government offices.
Major earthquakes also occurred in 1937, 1943, 1976, 1981, 2001, and 2006. However, earthquakes with large numbers of victims occurred in 1867, 1943, and 2006.•(Shaleh Rudianto media3)
