6.2 magnitude earthquake strikes eastern Indonesia, no tsunami threat reported
A 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of eastern Indonesia on Friday morning. Local authorities said there was no tsunami risk and no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
The earthquake
A 6.2 magnitude earthquake was recorded in the sea off eastern Indonesia at 11:31 local time (05:31 Greece time) on Friday, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The tremor occurred at a depth of about 120 kilometres, 58 kilometres west of the city of Tobelo, the capital of North Halmahera regency in Maluku province.
No tsunami threat
Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) confirmed there was no tsunami threat following the quake. Local authorities had not reported any injuries or material damage as of the first information available.
Resident reactions
The quake was felt as far away as Ternate, a city 114 kilometres from the epicentre. Omar Abbas, a resident there, described the moment to Agence France-Presse.
I had sat down to drink a coffee on a bench by the road when suddenly my seat started shaking. I panicked for a moment because I still have trauma from past earthquakes.
Seismic context
Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," a zone of intense seismic and volcanic activity. The vast archipelago regularly experiences earthquakes due to its geographic position.
