An earthquake measuring 6,0 on the Richter scale rocked Indonesia’s easternmost Papua province on Tuesday, causing panic among residents but no reported casualties, meteorologists said.
The temblor came just days after a powerful quake left more than 5 400 dead on the central Java island.
The inland quake struck Papua at 3.28am GMT, with the epicentre located 115km north-west of Wamena district in the central highlands, said Fadili Yusuf, an official at the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency.
”It was felt strongly in Wamena and caused panic among the population,” he said.
A police officer in Wamena said there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
”It was quite strong,” said the officer, who gave his name as Rudy.
Benny Marlisa, the head of the Wamena metereology office, told Elshinta radio that the tremor was also felt in the provincial capital Jayapura.
The US Geological Survey put the magnitude of the quake at 5,6. – AFP
