Buildings had been broken and at the least 4 folks had been killed when a restaurant collapsed into the ocean, authorities say.

A minimum of 4 folks have been killed and buildings broken by an earthquake of magnitude 5.4 which struck the north coast of Papua, Indonesia, toppling a waterfront cafe and trapping folks inside, officers mentioned.

The earthquake hit at 1.28pm native time (06:28 GMT) on Thursday, southwest of Jayapura metropolis at a depth of 10km, Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Company (BMKG) mentioned.

“A restaurant collapsed and 4 folks died there. It fell into the ocean,” Asep Khalid, head of the Jayapura catastrophe mitigation company, mentioned in a press assertion.

Residents in Jayapura mentioned folks scrambled for security, working from homes and outlets when the earthquake struck. Photos on social media confirmed broken buildings within the space and what gave the impression to be a submerged constructing which had sunk in coastal water as much as its roof.

The meteorological company warned of potential aftershocks.

“I used to be having lunch when issues out of the blue swayed, the jolt received a lot stronger,” mentioned Putri Kurita, 30, who ran for the exit at one other restaurant fearing it might collapse, too.

The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) recorded the earthquake at a magnitude of 5.5.

Indonesia experiences frequent seismic and volcanic exercise attributable to its place on the Pacific Ring of Fireplace, the place tectonic plates collide.

Thursday’s earthquake was considered one of greater than a thousand recorded within the space since January this yr, in line with BMKG.

“Since Jan 2, 2023, there have been 1,079 quakes round Jayapura, with about 132 felt by its residents,” mentioned BMKG chief, Dwikorita Karnawati.