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6.1-Magnitude Earthquake Hits Indonesia Region: USGS

by Agence France-Presse

   JAKARTA, INDONESIA --

   A strong 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia's Papua region
   Saturday morning and was followed by a 5.8-magnitude aftershock minutes
   later, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said.

   Both quakes hit at a relatively shallow depth of 15 kilometers, about
   272 kilometers from the town of Abepura, according to the USGS.

   No casualties or damages were immediately reported by authorities, but
   the Indonesian Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BKMG) warned of
   moderate shaking and light damage in a tweet.

   Indonesia experiences frequent earthquakes due to its position on the
   Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of intense seismic activity where
   tectonic plates collide, that stretches from Japan through Southeast
   Asia and across the Pacific basin.

   A 6.2-magnitude quake that shook the island of Sulawesi in January 2021
   killed more than 100 people and left thousands homeless, reducing
   buildings to a tangled mass of twisted metal and chunks of concrete in
   the seaside city of Mamuju.