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A powerful earthquake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale struck near the southeastern Indonesian city of Abepura on Thursday morning, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
The tremor hit around 120 miles from the city in Papua province at approximately 5:48 a.m. GMT. The quake’s depth at the epicenter was recorded at about 21 miles below the surface.
While the USGS measured the magnitude at 6.5, Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) reported a slightly higher reading of 6.8. Such variations are common in early assessments as monitoring agencies use different seismic models to calculate magnitude and depth.
Officials said there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties in Abepura, a city of over 60,000 residents located in Indonesia’s easternmost region. Authorities are continuing to monitor the area for possible aftershocks.
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