Indonesia: A strong earthquake measuring 7.6 in the Tanimbar region

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An earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale struck the Tanimbar region in Indonesia on Tuesday, according to the European Mediterranean Seismological Center (EMSC).

EMCS said the quake was at a depth of 95 kilometers below the Earth’s surface. Aftershocks with a magnitude of 5.5 were recorded, according to the Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).

There were no reports of damage or casualties, but the quake was felt in Papua, Timor, the Maluku archipelago and Darwin, the capital of the Northern Territory of Australia.

An initial tsunami warning was issued by the Indonesian Geophysics Agency which was later reinstated.

This is not the first time that the Tanimbar Islands have experienced such an earthquake. Previously, a 7.3-magnitude earthquake hit the island in June 2019. However, at that time, no tsunami warning was issued.

Indonesia, which is geographically located in the highly seismic “Ring of Fire” – an area in the Pacific Ocean basin that is highly prone to earthquakes.

In November last year, a shallow earthquake measuring 5.6 struck the town of Cianjur in West Java, Indonesia. Although experts have described it as relatively calmer, more than 600 people have succumbed to the devastation it caused.

Most of the victims were killed when buildings collapsed or when landslides occurred.

“If someone died, the people of Cianjur would often bury them on the spot. Because of the panic, those who died were immediately buried by their relatives without notifying the local health agency,” said Adam, a spokesman for the local Cianjur administration. About 600 people have been killed when they are officially counted.”

(with reports from agencies)

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