JAKARTA – A powerful 6.1-magnitude earthquake slammed Indonesia’s Papua area early Saturday morning, followed by a 5.8-magnitude aftershock minutes later, according to the US Geological Survey.
According to the USGS, both quakes struck at a relatively shallow depth of 15 kilometers (9.3 miles), around 272 kilometers from the town of Abepura.
Authorities reported no casualties or damage immediately, but the Indonesian Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BKMG) warned of moderate shaking and modest damage in a tweet.
Because of its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of strong seismic activity where tectonic plates meet that spans from Japan through Southeast Asia and throughout the Pacific basin, Indonesia is prone to earthquakes.
A 6.2-magnitude earthquake that hit Sulawesi island in January 2021 killed over 100 people and left thousands homeless, reducing buildings in the beachfront city of Mamuju to a tangled mess of twisted metal and shards of concrete.
Source: AFP