Strong earthquake hits Indonesia
A strong but deep earthquake has struck off eastern Indonesia, causing panic among residents in East Timor, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage and there was no danger of a tsunami.
The US Geological Survey says the magnitude-6.5 quake was centred off Indonesia’s Maluku Baratdaya District, in Maluku province, at a depth of 132km (82 miles).
6.5 earthquake! Sun Sep 01 07:52:32 GMT-04:00 2013 near Kepulauan Barat Daya, Indonesia pic.twitter.com/ZtRaEy3Q0r
— Carlos Chiappe S. (@cchiappes) September 1, 2013
The Indonesian Meteorology and Geophysics Agency says the quake has no potential to cause a tsunami.
Witnesses say that many residents in East Timor’s capital, Dili, ran out of their houses in panic after the quake struck.
Deep harmless #earthquake in the Banda Sea (#Indonesia) felt until #Australia - http://t.co/mwDvPReRSj pic.twitter.com/bpj0JfcBb7
— Earthquake Report M6 (@Quake_Tracker6) September 1, 2013
Indonesia is prone to seismic upheavals due to its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.
