Powerful earthquake hits eastern Indonesia – 6.5 magnitude
JAKARTA, Indonesia – A powerful undersea earthquake has hit off the shore of eastern Indonesia, but no injuries or serious damage was reported promptly.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake measured 6.5 and hit about 94 kilometers (58 miles) west of Waingapu, a coastal town on Sumba island in East Nusa Tenggara province.
Indonesia is prone to quakes because of its place on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.
In 2004, a huge earthquake off Sumatra triggered a tsunami that killed 230,000 individuals in a dozen states.