A 6.5 magnitude earthquake hit parts of Indonesia’s main island of Java on Friday, causing panic, but no injuries or damages were immediately reported.
Indonesia’s Meteorology and Geophysics Agency said the quake had no potential to trigger a tsunami.
The US Geological Survey said the quake was centered about 94 km West of Waingapu, a coastal town on Sumba island in East Nusatenggara province, with a depth of 30 km.
The quake was felt across many parts of the province and the tourist destination of Lombok island in neighbour West Nusatenggara province, causing people run out of houses and buildings in panic, said Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesperson 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.
{{/usCountry}}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.
{{/usCountry}}