6.6 Magnitude Quake Hits Indonesia’s West Papua

An earthquake measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale has rocked eastern Indonesia, 74 miles southeast of the city of Manokwari in West Papua province, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.

The quake occurred at (01:16 GMT) (10:16 am Jakarta time) at a depth of 30 kilometers (19 miles), 83 kilometers southeast of Manokwari on Saturday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said. 

The USGS had earlier announced that a 6.9-magnitude tremor jolted the region, but later revised the magnitude down to 6.6. 
Officials reported no damage in Manokwari but said the town of Ransiki, 80 kilometers south of Manokwari, was the worst hit. 

“The shaking in Ransiki was very strong, so it did minor damage to some buildings, and we’ve received reports that parts of at least one building and a tree fell, so we’re monitoring for any victims,” Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) official Yulson Sineri, said. 

People in different areas of the West Papua province ran out of buildings in panic, saying the shaking was quite strong. 

A 5.7-magnitude aftershock also hit the region at 1:24 GMT (10:24 am) with a depth of 10 kilometers, 83 kilometers northeast of the town of Teluk Bintuni, the BMKG reported.