Earthquake of magnitude 4.9 strikes near east coast of Australia

More than 9,000 people reported feeling the quake, according to the federal agency Geoscience Australia.

A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck near the east coast of Australia on Saturday, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said.

A working seismograph is shown in a display about earthquakes during an emergency drill. An earthquake was reported 402 kms from Arunachal Pradesh on Friday evening. (Reuters)

The quake was 10 km (6.2 miles) deep, the EMSC said. It earlier said the quake, which hit Queensland state, was of 5.7 magnitude.

There was no threat of tsunami to Queensland, Australia's weather forecaster said in an alert on its website.

A spokesperson from state-run energy distribution company Energex told the Australian Broadcasting Corp that around 11,000 properties were without power after the quake.

More than 9,000 people reported feeling the quake, according to the federal agency Geoscience Australia, which recorded the epicentre as the rural town of Kilkivan, about 170 km (110 miles) northwest of the state capital Brisbane.e