A 6.1-MAGNITUDE earthquake struck Indonesia’s Papua region this morning and was followed by a 5.8 magnitude quake minutes later, the US Geological Survey said.

Both quakes hit at a depth of 15km, about 272km from the town of Abepura, the USGS said.

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 Sulawesi island 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. – AFP, September 10, 2022.