JAKARTA, Indonesia — A strong earthquake rocked parts of Indonesia’s main island of Java on Friday, causing panic, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damages.
Indonesia’s Meteorology and Geophysics Agency said the quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 6.6, had no potential to trigger a tsunami.
The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake at 6.5 magnitude and said it was centered about 94 kilometers (58 miles) west of Waingapu, a coastal town on Sumba island in East Nusatenggara province, with a depth of 30 kilometers (19 miles).
The quake was felt across many parts of the province and the tourist destination of Lombok island in neighbor West Nusatenggara province, causing people run out of houses and buildings in panic, said Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.
He said the areas’ lack of communication infrastructure hampered the sharing of information on injuries and damages, but rescuers have been sent.
The world’s largest archipelago, Indonesia is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the so-called Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.
A monster temblor off Indonesia in 2004 triggered a tsunami that killed 230,000 people in a dozen countries. Most of the deaths were in Aceh province
- Four injured after military horses break loose, stampede in London, U.K.
- Canada refused to repatriate woman from ISIS camp because she can’t be arrested: internal memo
- Russia vetoes UN resolution to prevent nuclear arms race in space
- Why U.S. colleges are turning to police to quell pro-Palestinian student protests
Comments