The United States Geological Survey has reported a 7.1-magnitude earthquake in Indonesia’s Banda Sea.
According to the reports, there have been no immediate reports of damage or casualties resulting from the quake.
Initially, the earthquake was reported as a magnitude 6.9, and it struck at 11:53 a.m. local time (0453 GMT), according to the USGS. While the tremor was moderately felt in the town of Saumlaki in the Tanimbar Islands of the Indonesian archipelago, no tsunami warning was issued for this seismic event, as confirmed by the Indonesian Meteorological, Climatological, and Geophysical Agency.
“The earthquake was quite intense. But the people here were not panicking. We are used to having earthquakes,” Saumlaki resident Lambert Tatang told AFP.
“Especially after we learnt that there was no tsunami threat, so life is just normal now,” the 41-year-old said.
Indonesia is prone to frequent earthquakes because it is situated along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an extensive zone of heightened seismic activity that extends from Japan, through Southeast Asia, and across the Pacific basin.
In November 2022, a 5.6-magnitude earthquake occurred in the densely populated West Java province, which is located on Java, the country’s main island. Tragically, this event resulted in the loss of 602 lives.
One of the most devastating earthquakes in the region’s history occurred in 2004, when a colossal 9.1-magnitude quake struck the Sumatra coast.
This seismic event triggered a catastrophic tsunami that claimed the lives of approximately 220,000 people throughout the affected region, including around 170,000 in Indonesia.
