InTheNews.co.uk
Breaking News:
Your source for news

News Story

 15 May 2008 13:02 BST

Earthquake hits Indonesia

Thursday, 26 Jul 2007 09:32
Indonesia is prone to earthquakes
An undersea earthquake struck off eastern Indonesia today, prompting officials to issue a tsunami warning.

However the warning was subsequently withdrawn after it was determined that the strong quake had not created a killer wave and reports suggest that there have been no immediate reports of damage in the area.

Indonesia's meteorology agency said that the quake had a magnitude of 6.6 on the Richter scale, occuring under the Maluku Sea at around 13:40 local time (06:40 BST).

But US geologists said they had measured the magnitude of the quake at 7.4, claiming that its epicentre was 88km (55 miles) below sea level.

Although the quake's epicentre is said to have been more than 200km (130 miles) north of Ternate city, local radio reported that residents in the Indonesian provinces of North Maluku and North Sulawesi rushed out of buildings after it struck.

"We felt a strong tremor for almost a minute, people ran in panic from buildings," Tenate resident George Rajaloa is quoted as saying by the Associated Press.

"Children are crying and their mothers are screaming, but there is no damage in my area," he added.

Indonesia, part of the Pacific Ocean's so-called "Ring of Fire", is prone to earthquakes and tsunamis - which regularly occur in the seismically active region.

On Boxing Day 2004 more than 130,000 people were killed in the country's Aceh province after a massive earthquake resulted in a giant tsunami, while around 600 people were killed on Java Island by a quake-generated tsunami just over a year ago.

End of story

More headline news... 

Also In The News 

  • Polls close in East Timor

    Polls have closed in East Timor following a parliamentary election fought against a background of long-term poverty and instability in the fledgling democracy. Full Story

  • Opec warning on biofuels

    The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) has warned that moves by industrialised nations to develop biofuels could send oil prices "through the roof". Full Story
© 2008 Advertise | Privacy | Terms of Use