Underwater Quake of magnitude 6.6 hits Indonesia, 260 houses and buildings damaged

A powerful earthquake measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale has hit in the waters of Indonesia’s easternmost province early Friday. The quake has left 39 people injured (mainly with broken bones) and has damaged 260 houses as well as buildings. However, no casualties have been reported yet. The earthquake left the residents in panic making them flee from their hotels and homes.

The epicenter was located 28 km north of Sorong, which is a town in the West Papua province of Indonesia. According to the USGS, the quake struck at 12:53 AM (Indonesia Time). The residents were evacuated and sent to shelters temporarily while the authorities analysed the damage caused.

According to the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency in Indonesia, the underwater earthquake were not strong enough to generate a tsunami over the nearby coasts. Indonesia is located on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, which is an arc of fault lines and volcanoes in the Pacific basin. Thus the world’s largest archipelago is prone to earthquakes.

Only in 2009, a powerful earthquake had hit Indonesia and triggered a tsunami, which killed more than 2,00,000 people. India was also severely affected in the quake.

Image Credit: youtube.com