Earthquake on Bolian Homeworld

For those who haven't heard yet -- there was a massive earthquake on Bolarus IX about an hour ago. It registered 8.8 on the Richter Scale. The epicenter of the quake was just outside of the planetary capital city of Bolsetu, and has caused significant damage to the city and surrounding area. Unfortunately, it also struck at midday, so millions of workers, tourists, and Federation representatives were in Bolsetu at the time.

FNS reports say that the massive underground business center of Bolsetu Caverns collapsed during the shaking. Roughly 25,000 people work in offices down there on any given day. Officials have appealed to the Federation Council for emergency assistance; vessels are already being dispatched.

Bolarus IX is the home world of about 8.3 billion Bolians. Planetary officials estimate that casualty numbers in the Bolsetu area could exceed 100,000. The Benaris Fault Line (which runs through the area) has been relatively stable for the past 250 years. Today's mega earthquake caught everyone by surprise.

Our hearts go out to the people of Bolarus IX. Let's hope the casualties are far lower than expected.

-Sam