Strong earthquake strikes Indonesia’s Papua Islands

By Ainur Rohmah
YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia (AA) - A strong 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck off the coat of eastern Indonesia, causing residents in some parts of the Papua Islands to panic and rush from their homes Monday.
The National Disaster Management Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho told Anadolu Agency that the temblor struck at 02.44 AM, at a depth of 96 kilometers in the Papua islands, 266 kilometers southeast of Bovendigul, Papua Province.
"The quake caused people to panic and rush out of their house. Now, the situation is normal," Nugroho said.
He said the quake was felt strongly in Wamena City and Merauke Regency.
"Until now there has been no reports of damage and casualties," Nugroho said.
Local disaster management agencies are still investigating the impacted areas.
Aftershocks occur five times with the power of more than a five-magnitude.
In January, the 6.1-magnitude earthquake in Banten Regency resulted in one person dead and nearly 3,000 buildings damaged.
Indonesia lies within the Pacific’s "Ring of Fire", where tectonic plates collide and cause frequent seismic and volcanic activity.
On Dec. 26, 2004, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake struck the eastern coast of Sumatra, causing a tsunami that killed around 230,000 people as it tore along the coasts of Sri Lanka, India, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.