JAKARTA: A 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck near the Tanimbar Islands in Indonesia on Tuesday, prompting terrified residents to flee their homes, although a tsunami warning was lifted after three hours and initial reports were limited. Damage was identified.
The Tanimbar Islands are a group of about 30 islands in the Maluku province of eastern Indonesia.
At least four aftershocks were reported after the powerful earthquake, which was also felt in parts of northern Australia.
At least 15 homes and two school buildings were damaged, one person was injured, and aftershocks were felt for 3 to 5 seconds, Indonesia’s disaster agency officials said.
The country’s geophysics agency, BMKG, said the quake, which measured locally at a magnitude of 7.5, struck at a depth of 130 kilometers (80.78 miles) at 2:47 a.m. local time (1747 GMT). The tsunami warning was lifted at 5:43 am.
“Based on our observation of four tide gauges around the epicenter… there was no anomaly or significant change in sea level,” BMKG chief Doykurita Karnavati told a news conference, staying near the coast. Advising people to continue with you. Activities
The European Mediterranean Seismological Center (EMSC) recorded the magnitude of the earthquake at 7.6 after initially reporting it as 7.7. The US Geological Survey has also reported its magnitude as 7.6.
BMKG said there were four aftershocks with a magnitude of 5.5 recorded.
Indonesia rests on the so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire”, making it one of the most seismically active regions in the world, experiencing frequent earthquakes.
Last November, a 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia’s most populous province of West Java, leveling homes and killing more than 300 people.
BNPB said more than 2,200 houses were damaged and more than 5,300 people were displaced. Indonesian officials put the number at 13,000 and said they would be dispersed to various evacuation centers in Cianjur.
In Jakarta, some people left offices in the central business district, while others reported shaking buildings and moving furniture, Reuters witnesses said.
In 2004, a magnitude 9.1 earthquake on the northern Indonesian island of Sumatra triggered a tsunami that swept through 14 countries, killing 226,000 people along the Indian Ocean coast, more than half of them in Indonesia. were
