Indonesia: Earthquake Shakes Papua, No Casualties Reported

The easternmost province of Indonesia experienced an earthquake on Monday, but there were no immediate reports of significant damage or casualties.

The 5.4-magnitude earthquake was centred 135 kilometres (83 miles) southwest of Abepura, a district in Jayapura, the provincial capital of Papua, according to the US Geological Survey. It happened at a 13-kilometer depth (8 miles).

There was no tsunami threat, but Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency issued a warning about potential aftershocks. The earthquake’s preliminary magnitude was 6.4. Early earthquake measurements frequently vary.

Papua is one of Indonesia’s least populated provinces with just over a million people.

Four people died in February when a floating restaurant collapsed into the water during a second shallow earthquake that shook the province. These victims were unable to flee.

With 270 million inhabitants, Indonesia is a seismically active archipelago that frequently experiences earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis.

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake that struck West Java province in November of last year left more than 7,700 people injured. A magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck West Sulawesi province in January 2021 resulted in more than 100 fatalities and nearly 6,500 injuries.

In 2004, a devastating earthquake off the coast of Aceh sparked a tsunami that claimed the lives of about 230,000 people across a dozen nations.

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