Strong earthquake strikes off Indonesia’s Java island
No tsunami alert issued or damage reported after magnitude-6.3 tremor hits southwest of East Java province
By Ainur Rohmah
JAKARTA
A magnitude-6.3 earthquake struck off the Indonesian island of Java on Sunday, but no tsunami warning has been issued or casualties or damage reported.
The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency said on its website that the tremor occurred at 02.05 p.m. (0805GMT) around 150 kilometers (93 miles) southwest Malang regency, East Java province, at a depth of 10 kilometers.
Residents of the nearby area rushed onto the streets as the tremor shook their homes, the Kompas.com news website reported.
Malang’s regional disaster management agency has not received reports of damage caused by the earthquake, which was also felt in Yogyakarta province to the west and Bali island to the east.
The regional agency’s chief, Hafie Lutfi told Anadolu Agency, “until now, we have not received information on any damage. We are still checking some points."
He advised the public to remain vigilant against possible aftershocks.
"We are still monitoring the nearest district from the epicenter," he added.
On Saturday, a magnitude-5.7 earthquake had struck 111 kilometers southwest of Ciamis regency, West Java province, causing tremors in Yogyakarta and Central Java province to the east. No damage or tsunami threat was reported.
The National Disaster Management Agency on its twitter account Sunday that the earthquakes off Malang and Ciamis had resulted from activity between two tectonic plates in the region.
Referring to an East Java volcano whose eruptions have recently been causing temporary airport closures, it said, “hopefully the earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale in Malang will not affect Mount Raung’s activity."
Indonesia, home 129 active volcanoes, lies within the Pacific’s "Ring of Fire," where tectonic plates collide and cause frequent seismic and volcanic activity.
On Dec. 26, 2004, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake struck the eastern coast of Sumatra island, causing a tsunami that killed around 230,000 people as it tore along the coasts of Sri Lanka, India, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.
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