JAKARTA, INDONESIA (AP) – An undersea earthquake shook part of eastern Indonesia yesterday, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.
The United States (US) Geological Survey said the 5.7-magnitude quake struck 158 kilometres off Laikit village in North Sulawesi province. It said the quake was centred about 30 kilometres beneath the sea.
The Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency, which put the quake at 5.9-magnitude and 10 kilometres depth, said the quake was unlikely to trigger a tsunami.
Indonesia, a vast archipelago of 270 million people, is frequently struck by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis because of its location on the ‘Ring of Fire’, an arc of volcanoes and fault lines that arcs the Pacific.
In February, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake killed at least 25 people and injured more than 460 in West Sumatra province.
In January 2021, the same magnitude earthquake also killed more than 100 people and injured nearly 6,500 in West Sulawesi province.
