Earthquake shakes part of Indonesia's Papua, no casualties reported

Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency said there was no danger of a tsunami but warned of possible aftershocks.

An earthquake shook Indonesia’s easternmost province Monday, but there were no immediate reports of serious damage or casualties.

Indonesia is a seismically active archipelago of 270 million people that is frequently struck by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis. (Antara Foto/Hendra Nurdiyansyah/via Reuters/File)

The US Geological Survey said the magnitude 5.4 quake was centered 135 kilometers (83 miles) southwest of Abepura, a subdistrict in Jayapura, the capital of Papua province. It occurred at a depth of 13 kilometers (8 miles).

Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency said there was no danger of a tsunami but warned of possible aftershocks. It measured a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 for the quake. Variations in early measurements of quakes are common.

With a population of just over 1 million, Papua is one of Indonesia’s least populous provinces.

In February, another shallow earthquake shook the province, killing four people who were unable to escape when a floating restaurant collapsed into the sea.

Indonesia is a seismically active archipelago of 270 million people that is frequently struck by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis.

Last November, a magnitude 5.6 earthquake killed at least 602 people and injured more than 7,700 in West Java province. In January 2021, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake killed more than 100 people and injured nearly 6,500 in West Sulawesi province.

A powerful quake off the coast of Aceh in 2004 triggered a powerful tsunami that killed around 230,000 people in a dozen countries.