A powerful earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale hit Indonesia on Friday, triggering tsunami fears. The quake struck at a depth of 59 kilometers, about 227 kilometers from Teluk Betung city.
The earthquake was so powerful, and the tremors were felt in many cities including Jakarta, the capital of the country. The Indonesian disaster mitigation agency urged the residents on the Banten coast of Java island to move to higher grounds immediately. Even though there are no immediate reports of damage, the authorities have issued a tsunami alert considering the magnitude and depth of the earthquake.
Indonesia has been facing the disastrous effects of earthquakes over the years. In last September, more than 2,000 people were killed following an earthquake and tsunami that hit the island of Sulawesi. In 2004, an earthquake measuring 9.1 on the Richter scale caused a gigantic tsunami resulting in the death of more than 1,70,000 people on the island of Sumatra.
In an uncanny coincidence, the tremor struck after an earthquake prediction by Frank Hoogerbeets, a self-proclaimed seismic researcher who operates from the Netherlands. He had predicted that a powerful earthquake was likely to happen due to the lunar peak. The researcher revealed that these quakes would happen on August 02 and 03, and he urged people to stay alert.
In his website, Hoogerbeets claims that he is using an advanced system called SSGI (Solar System Geometry Index) to predict earthquakes.
However, experts have refuted such claims saying that predictions turning true is a mere coincidence.
