6-magnitude earthquake hits south of Bali, damaging hotels, schools

The entrance to the Nusa Dua hotel complex is damaged during a 6-magnitude earthquake in Bali on July 16, 2019. The Jakarta Post/Asia News Network/Ni Komang Erviani

A 6-magnitude rocked Bali on Tuesday morning, damaging the entrance to the Nusa Dua hotel area and a few buildings. No fatalities have been reported nor a tsunami warning issued.

The earthquake occurred at 8:18 a.m. local time 83 kilometers southwest of Nusa Dua, a tourist hub in the southern part of the island-province. The earthquake could be felt across Bali, on Lombok Island and in parts of East Java.

“There is no threat of a tsunami. People should remain calm and not panic,” said Bali Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD Bali) head Made Rentin.

A 6-magnitude earthquake off the south coast of Bali causes damage to several buildings on the island. BMKG via The Jakarta Post/Asia News Network

At least five minor aftershocks were felt in Jembrana, a regency in the southwest of the island.

The earthquake caused damage to the top of a Balinese entrance gate to the Nusa Dua hotel complex. Roof tiles of an elementary school building in Ungasan also fell to the ground.

Elementary schoolchildren in Denpasar run out of their classrooms after the earthquake on the morning of July 16. The Jakarta Post/Asia News Network/Ni Komang Erviani

The BPBD Bali is estimating the damage caused by the earthquake. “We are assessing and collecting data of the impacts of the earthquake,” said Rentin.

Early reports reveal that the earthquake also damaged another elementary school in Jimbaran, a district office in Kuta and the Mercure Hotel in Nusa Dua.

Flights at Ngurah Rai International Airport have been unaffected.