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Why the 5.6-magnitude earthquake in Indonesia was so deadly

By Carolyn Y. Johnson

22 Nov 2022 · 2 min read

Editor's Note

In this Washington Post article, scientists weigh in on why the Indonesian earthquake had such a devastating impact.

The earthquake that shook Indonesia's West Java province on Monday might sound deceptively mild - the 5.6-magnitude quake struck at 1:21 p.m. local time in a seismic hot zone that frequently sees much larger temblors.

But this technically moderate quake has so far killed at least 268 people and injured hundreds more.

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