Three killed as magnitude 6.4 quake strikes Indonesia

By Mahmut Atanur

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AA) - At least three people are dead after a 6.4-magnitude earthquake hit Indonesia early Thursday.

The Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management (BNPB) said Gayam district, East Java and Bali were the most affected areas by the earthquake, which also caused material damage.

The Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics (BMKG) said the quake was felt at 1:57 a.m. local time with its epicenter in the ocean 55 kilometers (34 miles) northeast of Situbondo regency, East Java at a depth of 12 kilometers (7.45 miles).

Last month, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck Sulawesi Island, which triggered a tsunami in the cities of Donggala and Palu that towered up to 10 feet (3 meters) high. The death toll has climbed to 2,065.

Indonesia lies within the Pacific Ocean’s "Ring of Fire" where tectonic plates collide and cause frequent seismic and volcanic activity.

On Dec. 26, 2004, a magnitude 9.1 earthquake struck the eastern coast of Sumatra, triggering a tsunami that killed around 230,000 people as it tore along the coasts of Sri Lanka, India, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.